i  me 


CAROLYN  WELLS 


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PATTY  FAIRFIELD 


UNIV.  OF  CALIF.  LIBRARY.  LOS  ANGELES 


Patty  Fairfield 


BY 

CAROLYN  WELLS 


AUTHOR  OP 

TWO  LITTLE  WOMEN  SERIES, 
THE  MARJORIE  SERIES,  ETC. 


t 


GROSSET    &    DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS  NEW    YORK 


Copyright,  1901 
BY  DODD,  MEAD  &  COMPANY 


Primed  >A  U.S.A. 


To  My  Little  Friend 
MARION  AMES  TAGGAfc? 


2133520 


Contents 


CHAP.  PAGE 

I.     Her  Father's  Plan I 

II.     Traveling  North II 

III.  New  Friends 19 

IV.  Villa  Rosa 25 

V.     A  Minuet 40 

VI.     Purple  and  Fine  Linen 56 

VII.    A  Sleigh-Ride 68 

VIII.    An  Absent-Minded  Cousin 78 

IX.     The  Flemings 91 

X.     Patty's  Pranks 107 

XI.     The  Book  Party 122 

XII.     The  Hurly-Burly 134 

XIII.  Home-Made  Music 149 

XIV.  A  Funny  Family 158 

XV.     The  Lawn-Party 169 

XVI.     Unbounded  Hospitality 180 

XVII.     A  Hurly-Burly  Fire 189 

XVIII.     At  Vernondale 202 

XIX.     A  Picnic 214 

XX.     The  Rescue 228 

XXI.     A  Reading-Club 334 

XXII.    A  Welcome  Guest 239 


Patty  Fairfield 


CHAPTER  I 
HER  FATHER'S  PLAN 

"  How  old  are  you,  Patty  ?  "  aske^l  ner  father, 
abruptly. 

"  Fourteen,  papa, — why  ?  " 

"  My  conscience !  what  a  great  girl  you're 
getting  to  be.  Stand  up  and  let  me  look  at 
you." 

Patty  Fairfield,  with  two  twists  and  a  spring, 
brought  herself  to  her  feet,  and  stood  awaiting 
her  father's  inspection. 

He  saw  a  slender,  graceful  girl,  a  Southern 
blonde  of  the  purest  type.  Her  pretty  golden 
hair  would  gladly  have  hung  in  curly  masses, 
but  it  was  only  allowed  to  have  its  own  sweet 
will  around  her  temples  and  at  the  end  of  a 
long  thick  braid. 


2  Patty   Fairficlc 

Her  eyes  were  blue,  deep  and  twniKiy,  and 
the  rest  of  her  face  was  as  pretty  and  sweet  as 
soft  girlish  contours  and  a  perfect  complexion 
could  make  it. 

But  best  of  all  was  the  gentle  expression  and 
frank,  good-natured  smile  which  so  often  broke 
into  mischievous  dimples. 

It  did  on  this  occasion,  and  Patty  laughed 
merrily  at  her  father's  grave  consideration  of 
her. 

"  What  is  it,  papa  ?  "  she  asked.  "  Did  you 
think  I  was  still  an  infant,  and  were  you  going 
to  buy  me  a  new  dolls'  house  ?  Or  were  you 
going  to  take  me  to  the  circus?  I'm  not  a  bit 
too  old  for  the  circus." 

"  Aren't  you  ?  Then  I  will  take  you,  but  what 
is  on  my  mind  at  present  is  a  much  more  serious 
matter.  Sit  down  again,  Puss,  and  I'll  tell  you 
all  about  it. 

"  You  know  for  years  I've  looked  forward  to 
the  time  when  you  should  grow  up  to  be  old 
enough  to  keep  house  for  me.  And  I  thought 
then  we'd  go  back  North  and  settle  down 
among  my  people  and  your  mother's  relatives. 
I  haven't  been  North  since  your  mother  died, 


Her  Father's  Plan  3 

but  now  I  want  to  go,  and  I  want  you  to  spend 
the  rest  of  your  life  there.  In  many  ways  it  will 
be  better  for  you  than  Virginia.  You  will  have 
more  advantages ;  your  life  will  be  broader  and 
more  varied.  Now  I  can't  be  ready  to  leave 
here  for  good  in  less  than  a  year ;  I  want  to  sell 
out  my  lumber  interests  and  settle  up  my  busi- 
ness affairs. 

"  But  I  am  continually  receiving  letters  from 
your  aunts, — you  have  lots  of  aunts,  Patty, — and 
they  are  apparently  all  anxious  that  you  shall 
visit  them.  So,  if  you  consent,  this  is  my  plan. 
You've  never  traveled  any,  have  you,  Puss  ?  " 

"  Never  been  out  of  Virginia  in  my  life, 
papa." 

"  No  ?  Well,  you  ought  to  see  a  little  of  how 
the  rest  of  the  world  lives  and  moves.  So  I 
think  I'll  let  you  visit  in  the  North  for  a  year, — 
say  three  months  with  each  of  your  four  aunts, 
•  — and  then  next  fall  I'll  be  ready  to  join  you, 
and  we'll  buy  a  house  and  you  shall  be  mistress 
of  it." 

"  A  home  of  our  own  ?  Oh,  papa,  I'd  like 
hat  lots ! " 

M  Yes,  so  would  I.     As  we  have  always  lived 


4_  Patty  Fairfield 

in  boarding-houses  since  your  mother's  death, 
you've  had  no  opportunity  to  learn  the  details 
of  housekeeping,  and  these  four  visits  will  show 
you  four  very  distinct  types  of  families." 

"  Why,  are  my  aunts  all  so  different,  papa?" 

"  Indeed  they  are,  and  though  I  hope  you  can 
make  yourself  happy  with  each  one,  yet  you 
Will  find  life  very  different  in  the  various  homes." 

"  Tell  me  about  them,  papa,"  said  Patty,  con- 
tentedly settling  herself  back  among  the  cushions 
of  the  couch,  for  she  dearly  loved  a  long  talk 
with  her  father. 

"  Well,  you  will  go  first  to  the  St.  Clairs. 
You  remember  Uncle  Robert,  your  mother's 
brother,  who  was  here  four  or  five  years  ago, 
don't  you  ?  " 

"  Indeed  I  do ;  he  brought  me  a  French  doll 
nearly  as  big  as  I  was  then  myself, — and  a  whole 
five-pound  box  of  candy.  He  is  a  lovely  man. 
But  I've  never  seen  Aunt  Isabel  or  the  children, 
— only  their  photographs." 

"  Your  Aunt  Isabel  is, — but  no, — I  won't  tell 
you  anything  about  your  relatives.  You  may 
discover  their  faults  and  virtues  for  yourself. 
Most  of  all,  my  child,  you  will  need  to  cultivate 


Her  Father's  Plan  5 

your  sense  of  proportion.  Do  you  know  what 
proportion  means  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  papa,  I  studied  « ratio  and  propor- 
tion '  in  arithmetic." 

"  Not  that  kind,"  said  her  father,  smiling ;  "  I 
mean  a  proportion  of  human  interests,  of  amuse- 
ments or  occupations.  I  wonder  if  you  are  too 
young  to  understand." 

"  No,  I'm  not  too  young  to  understand  any- 
thing" said  Patty,  fairly  blinking  in  her  endeavor 
to  look  as  wise  as  an  owl. 

"  Well,  then,  listen  while  I  put  it  this  way. 
Suppose  you  were  to  make  a  cake,  an  ordinary 
sized  cake,  you  know,  how  much  yeast  would 
you  put  in  it  ?  " 

"  Not  any,  papa,"  said  Patty,  laughing  mer- 
rily. "  I  know  enough  housekeeping  not  to  put 
yeast  in  a  cake.  I'd  use  baking-powder." 

"  Yes,"  said  her  father,  quite  undisturbed, 
"  that  is  what  I  meant, — baking-powder.  Now 
how  much  of  it  would  you  use?" 

"  Well,  about  two  teaspoonfuls,"  said  Patty, 
feeling  very  important  and  housewifely. 

"  Yes.  Now  suppose  instead  of  two  teaspoon- 
fuls you  put  in  two  cupfuls." 


6  Patty   Fairfield 

"  Why  then  I  wouldn't  have  any  cake  at  all! 
I  reckon  it  would  rise  right  up  the  chimney  and 
run  down  on  the  roof  outside." 

"  Well,  that  shows  just  what  I  mean.  There'd 
be  a  too  great  proportion  of  baking-powder, 
wouldn't  there  ?  " 

"  Indeed  there  would,"  assented  Patty,  much 
interested  in  the  conversation,  but  a  little  be- 
wildered. 

"  To  try  again,"  her  father  continued,  "  sup- 
pose your  frock  was  so  covered  by  trimming 
that  the  material  could  scarcely  be  seen  at  all." 

"  Then,"  said  Patty,  who  was  rapidly  learning 
her  lesson,  "  then  there'd  be  too  great  a  propor- 
tion of  trimming  for  the  frock." 

"  Ah,"  said  her  father,  "  you  begin  to  see  my 
drift,  do  you  ?  And  if  you  had  all  tables  in  your 
house,  and  no  chairs  or  bedsteads  or  bureaus, 
there'd  be  too  great  a  proportion  of  tables, 
wouldn't  there  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  and  I  perceive,"  said  Patty,  slowly  and 
with  mock  gravity,  "  that  proportion  means  to 
have  too  many  of  one  thing,  when  you'd  better 
have  a  lot  of  others." 

*'  No,  you're  all  wrong !     That  is  a  lack  of 


Her  Father's  Plan  7 

proportion.  Proportion  is  to  have  exactly  the 
right  amount  of  each  ingredient." 

"  Yes, — and  what  has  all  this  to  do  with  Aunt 
Isabel  ?  Does  she  put  too  much  baking-powder 
in  her  cake,  or  has  she  nothing  but  tables  in  her 
house  ?  " 

"  Those,  my  dear,  were  only  figures  of  speech. 
But  if  you're  going  to  make  a  home  for  your  old 
father  next  year,  I  want  you  to  learn  from  ob- 
servation what  are  the  principal  ingredients  to  put 
into  it,  and  then  learn  to  adjust  the  proportions." 

"  Papa,  I  believe  I  do  know  what  you  mean, 
but  it's  all  out  of  proportion  when  you  call  your- 
self 'my  old  father,'  for  you're  not  old  a  bit. 
You're  a  beautiful  young  man,  and  I'm  sure  any 
one  who  didn't  know  us  would  take  you  for  my 
brother." 

"  Come,  come,  Puss,  you  mustn't  be  so  flatter- 
ing, or  I'll  keep  you  here,  and  not  let  you  go 
North  at  all ;  and  I  do  believe  you're  just  dying 
to  go." 

"  I'd  like  it  lots  if  you  were  going  too.  But  to 
be  away  from  you  a  whole  year  is  no  fun  at  all. 
Can't  I  wait  until  next  fall  and  we'll  go  to- 
gether?" 


8  Patty   Fairficld 

"  No,  Patsie ;  your  aunts  are  urging  me  to  let 
you  visit  them  and  I  think  the  experiences  will 
do  you  good.  And  beside,  my  plans  for  the 
next  year  are  very  uncertain.  I  may  have  to  go 
to  Bermuda  to  see  about  my  plantation  there, — 
and  all  things  considered,  I  think  you  would  be 
better  off  in  the  North.  I  shall  miss  you,  of 
course,  but  a  year  soon  slips  away,  you  know, 
and  it  will  fly  very  quickly  for  you,  as  you  will 
be  highly  entertained  with  your  new  experi- 
ences." 

Now,  Patty  Fairfield  was  a  philosophic  little 
girl,  so  when  she  found  that  her  father's  mind 
was  made  up  she  accepted  the  situation  and 
offered  no  objections  of  any  kind.  And,  indeed 
the  new  plan  was  not  without  its  charm.  Al- 
though she  knew  none  of  her  aunts,  she  knew  a 
great  deal  about  them,  and  their  Northern  homes 
seemed  attractive  to  her  in  many  ways. 

"  What  about  school,  papa  ?  "  she  said,  finally. 

"  That  will  be  left  to  the  judgment  of  each  aunt 
in  turn.  I  think  Aunt  Isabel  has  a  governess  for 
her  children,  and  Aunt  Hester  will  probably 
teach  you  herself.  But  you  will  learn  enough, 
and  if  not,  you  can  consider  it  a  year's  vacation, 


Her  Father's  Plan  9 

and  I'll  put  you  back  in  school  when  I  am  with 
you  again." 

"  Well,"  said  Patty,  meditatively,  "  I  think  it 
will  be  very  nice,  and  I'll  like  it,  but  I'll  be  awful 
lonesome  for  you,"  and  with  a  spring  she  jumped 
into  her  father's  arms. 

"  Yes,  of  course,  my  baby,  we'll  be  homesick 
for  each  other,  but  we'll  be  brave,  and  when  we 
feel  very  lonesome,  we'll  sit  down  and  write  each 
other  nice  long  letters." 

"  Oh,  that  will  be  fun,  I  love  letters  ;  and  here 
comes  Clara,  may  I  tell  her  about  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  tell  her  she  must  come  to  see  me 
once  in  a  while,  and  cheer  me  after  I  lose  my 
own  little  girl." 

Clara  Hayden  was  Patty's  intimate  friend  and 
both  the  girls'  hearts  grew  sad  at  the  thought  of 
parting. 

"  But,"  said  Patty,  who  was  determined  to  look 
on  the  bright  side,  "  after  a  year,  papa  and  I  will 
have  a  house  of  our  own,  and  then  you  can  come 
and  make  us  a  long,  long  visit  And  we  can 
write  letters,  Clara,  and  you  must  tell  me  all 
about  the  girls,  and  about  school  and  about  the 
Magnolia  Club." 


10  Patty   Fairfield 

"  Yes,  I  will ;  and  you  write  to  me  about  all 
you  do  at  your  aunts'  houses.  Where  do  they 
live,  Patty?" 

"  Well,  I  shall  go  first  to  Aunt  Isabel's,  and  she 
lives  in  Elmbridge.  That's  in  New  Jersey,  but 
it's  quite  near  New  York.  Next  I'm  going  to 
Aunt  Hester's  ;  she  lives  in  Boston.  Then  I'm 
going  to  visit  Aunt  Grace.  They  live  in  Phila- 
delphia, but  I'll  be  with  them  in  the  summer- 
time, and  then  they're  at  their  country  place 
somewhere  on  Long  Island,  wherever  that  may 
be.  And  the  last  one  is  Aunt  Alice,  and  I  for- 
get the  name  of  the  town  where  she  lives.  Isn't 
it  nice,  Clara,  to  have  so  many  aunts  ?  " 

"  Yes,  lovely !  I  suppose  you'll  go  to  New 
York  often." 

"  I  don't  know ;  I  think  I'm  afraid  of  New 
York.  They  say  it's  an  awful  dangerous  place." 

"  Yes,  it  is.  People  get  killed  there  all  the 
time." 

« Fiddlesticks !  I  don't  believe  they  do. 
Well,  I  reckon  I  won't  get  killed.  Uncle  Robert 
will  take  better  care  of  me  than  that." 


CHAPTER  II 

TRAVELING    NORTH 

As  a  result  of  many  letters  back  and  forth  be- 
tween Mr.  Fairfield  and  the  Northern  aunts, 
Patty  stood  one  morning  on  the  platform  of  the 
railway  station,  all  ready  1o  depart  for  her  new 
homes. 

It  was  the  first  week  in  December,  and  the  lit- 
tle girl  shivered  as  she  thought  of  the  arctic  cold 
to  which  she  imagined  herself  going. 

"  Of  course  they'll  meet  me  in  a  sleigh,  won't 
they,  papa  ?  "  she  said. 

"  Perhaps  so,  but  I  doubt  it,"  he  replied. 
*  They  don't  have  such  snowstorms  in  Jersey 
now  as  they  used  to  when  I  was  a  boy.  Last 
winter  they  had  no  sleighing  at  all.  But  here 
comes  Miss  Powers;  let  us  go  to  greet  her." 
Miss  Powers  was  a  sharp-faced  lady  who  came 
marching  along  the  platform  with  a  firm  step. 

Patty  was  to  travel  in  her  care,  not  because 
she  was  an  especially  desirable  traveling  conv 
11 


12  Patty   Fairfield 

panion,  but  because  she  was  the  only  acquaint- 
ance of  the  Fairfields  who  chanced  to  be  going 
North  at  that  time. 

"  Good-morning,"  she  cried,  "  are  you  here 
already  ?  I  was  certain  you'd  be  late  and  miss 
the  train.  Not  a  very  pleasant  day,  is  it?  I 
wish  we  had  planned  to  go  to-morrow  instead. 
Why,  Patty,  you  are  wearing  your  best  hat ! 
You'll  spoil  it,  I'm  sure.  Have  you  your  trunk 
check  ?  Give  it  to  me,  you'll  certainly  lose  it 
else." 

"  Here  it  is,  Miss  Powers,"  said  Mr.  Fairfield, 
pleasantly,  "  and  I  dare  say  you  will  prove  more 
responsible  than  my  rattle-pated  daughter." 

He  squeezed  Patty's  hand  affectionately  as  he 
said  this,  and  a  great  wave  of  homesickness  came 
over  the  child's  heart.  She  caught  her  father 
round  the  neck,  and  vainly  trying  to  keep  the 
tears  back,  she  whispered, 

"  Oh,  papa,  dear,  let  me  stay  with  you.  I 
don't  want  to  go  to  Aunt  Isabel's, — I  know  she's 
horrid,  and  I  just  want  you,  you,  you  !" 

Miss  Powers  was  shocked  at  this  exhibition 
of  emotion,  and  said  with  asperity : 

«  Come,  come,  it's  too  late  to  talk  like  that 


Traveling  North  13 

now.  And  a  big  girl  like  yoi  ought  to  be 
ashamed  to  act  so  babyish." 

But  Mr.  Fairfield  kissed  Patty  tenderly  and 
said :  "  Dear,  we're  going  to  be  very  brave,  you 
know, — and  besides,  you're  only  going  for  a 
visit.  All  people  go  visiting  at  some  time  in 
their  lives,  and  next  December  I'll  be  shaking 
the  dust  of  Richmond  off  of  my  feet  and  coming 
after  you,  pell-mell."  Patty  smiled  through  her 
tears,  and  then  the  train  came  tooting  along  and 
they  all  climbed  aboard. 

As  the  train  waited  for  ten  minutes,  Mr.  Fair, 
field  had  ample  time  to  find  the  seats  engaged 
for  the  travelers,  and  to  arrange  their  hand-lug- 
gage in  the  racks  provided  for  it.  Then  he 
bade  Miss  Powers  good-bye,  and,  turning  to 
Patty,  clasped  her  in  his  arms  as  he  said : 

"  Pattykins,  good-bye.  The  year  will  soon 
pass  away,  and  then  we'll  have  a  jolly  little 
home  together.  Be  brave  and  gentle  always, 
and  as  a  parting  gift  I  give  you  this  little  box 
which  contains  a  talisman  to  help  you  bear  any 
troubles  or  difficulties  that  may  come  to  you." 

As  he  spoke,  he  put  into  Patty's  hand  a  small 
parcel  sealed  at  e:,rr.  end  with  red  sealing-wax. 


14  Patty   Fairfield 

"  Don't  ope*  it  now,"  he  continued.  "  Keep 
it  just  as  it  is  until  you  reach  Aunt  Isabel's. 
Then  after  you  have  gone  to  your  room  on  the 
first  night  of  your  stay  with  her,  open  the  box 
and  see  what  is  in  it." 

Then  the  warning  whistle  blew,  and  with  a 
final  embrace  of  his  little  daughter,  Mr.  Fairfield 
left  the  car. 

The  train  started,  and  for  a  moment  Patty  saw 
her  father  waving  his  handkerchief,  and  then  he 
was  lost  to  her  sight.  She  felt  just  like  indulg- 
ing in  a  good  cry,  but  Miss  Powers  would  have 
none  of  that. 

The  worthy  spinster  was  already  opening  her 
bag  and  preparing  to  make  herself  comfortable 
for  her  journey. 

"  Now,  Patty,"  she  sard,  but  not  unkindly, 
"  you've  left  your  pa  behind,  and  you're  going 
away  from  him  to  stay  a  year.  You've  got  to 
go,  you  can't  help  yourself,  so  you  might  just  as 
well  make  the  best  of  it,  and  be  cheerful  instead 
of  miserable.  So  now  that's  settled,  and  you'd 
better  get  out  your  books  and  games  or  what- 
ever you  brought  along  to  amuse  yourself  with." 

Miss  Powers  had  taken  off  her  hat  and  gloves 


Traveling  North  l£ 

and  arranged  a  small  balsam  pillow  behind  her 
head.  She  put  on  her  glasses,  and  opened  a 
book  in  which  she  at  once  became  absorbed. 

Patty,  being  thus  left  to  her  own  devices,  be- 
came much  interested  in  the  novelty  of  her  sur- 
roundings. It  was  great  fun  to  lean  back 
against  the  high-cushioned  seat  and  look  out 
of  the  window  at  the  trees  and  plantations  and 
towns  as  they  flew  by.  This  kept  her  amused 
until  noontime,  when  a  waiter  came  through  the 
car  banging  a  gong. 

Miss  Powers  shut  her  book  with  a  snap,  and 
announced  that  they  would  go  to  the  dining- 
car  for  their  lunch. 

This  was  even  more  fun,  for  it  seemed  so 
queer  to  Patty  to  sit  at  a  table  and  eat,  while  at 
the  same  time  she  was  flying  through  the 
country  at  such  break-neck  speed. 

"  It's  like  the  enchanted  carpet,  isn't  it,  Miss 
Powers  ?  "  she  said,  as  they  slid  through  a  thick 
grove  and  then  out  into  the  sunshine  again. 

"  What  is?  what  carpet?"  asked  Miss  Powers, 
looking  down  at  the  floor  of  the  car. 

"  Oh,  not  a  real  carpet,"  said  Patty,  politely 
repressing  a  smile  at  the  elder  lady's  ignorance 


16  Patty   Fairfield 

of  fairy-lore.  "  I  mean,  for  us  to  go  scooting 
along  so  fast  is  like  the  travelers  on  the  magi- 
cians' carpet.  Don't  you  know,  the  carpet 
would  move  of  itself  wherever  he  told  it  to." 

"  H'm,"  commented  Miss  Powers,  "  that  would 
be  a  good  kind  of  a  carpet  to  have  at  house- 
cleaning  time,  wouldn't  it?" 

This  prosaic  disposition  of  the  magic  carpet 
quite  shocked  Patty,  but  she  adapted  herself  to 
the  idea,  and  said,  "  Yes,  indeed  ;  you  could  just 
say,  «  Carpet,  get  up  and  go  out  and  hang  your- 
self on  the  clothes-line,  and  then  shake  yourself 
well  and  come  back  again,' — oh,  that  would  be 
convenient." 

Miss  Powers  smiled  in  an  absent-minded  sort 
of  way,  and  Patty  chattered  on,  half  to  herself 
and  half  to  her  companion. 

"  But  suppose  the  carpet  should  be  naughty 
and  refuse  to  go, — that  wouldn't  be  so  pleasant." 

"  Or  suppose  it  should  run  away  and  never 
come  back  ?  " 

This  latter  remark  was  made  by  a  strange 
voice,  and  Patty  looked  up  quickly  to  see  the 
man  who  was  seated  opposite,  smiling  in  a  very 
friendly  way. 


Traveling  North  17 

He  was  an  elderly  gentleman  with  white  hair 
and  beard,  and  it  seemed  to  Patty's  vivid  imagi- 
nation that  he  looked  like  Noah,  or  some  other 
of  the  ancient  patriarchs. 

"  That  would  be  a  great  joke  on  the  house- 
keeper," Patty  answered,  feeling  already  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  pleasant  old  gentleman,  "  and 
I  suppose  she  would  have  to  get  a  new  carpet." 

"  Or  have  a  hard-wood  floor  laid  in  her  room," 
he  responded. 

"  Or  live  on  a  bare  floor,"  said  Miss  Powers. 
"  I  think  it  would  be  a  very  slack  housekeeper 
who  would  let  her  carpets  shake  themselves,  and 
she  would  probably  be  too  lazy  or  too  poor  to 
replace  the  ones  that  ran  away." 

Mr.  Noah,  as  Patty  called  the  old  man  in  her 
mind,  laughed  heartily  at  this,  and  during  the 
rest  of  the  luncheon  hour  proved  himself  a  genial 
and  entertaining  companion. 

The  day  passed  quickly,  and  at  bedtime  Patty 
was  quite  tired  enough  to  welcome  the  thought 
of  tucking  herself  away  in  one  of  those  queer- 
looking  bunks  that  the  porter  was  arranging. 

"  I'll  sleep  on  the  top  shelf,"  she  said,  gleefully, 
"may  I,  Miss  Powers  ?" 


l8  Patty   Fairfidd 

"  I'll  be  very  glad  if  you  will,  child, — I've  no 
desire  to  climb  up  there.  Ugh,  I  don't  think  I 
can  sleep  anywhere  on  this  bobbety-bobble 
train." 

Then  the  porter  brought  a  small  step-ladder, 
and  this  delighted  Patty  beyond  measure. 

"  Ho ! "  said  she,  "  now  I'm  '  Jack  and  the 
Beanstalk.'  «  A-hitchet,  a-hatchet,  a-up  I  go ' ! " 
and  with  two  jumps  and  a  spring  she  landed  in 
the  upper  berth. 

"  Now,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  I  know  how 
Alice  felt  when  she  grew  so  large  that  she  filled 
up  the  whole  room.  Let  me  see,  what  did  she 
do  ?  She  put  one  arm  out  the  window  and  one 
foot  up  the  chimney.  Well,  I  can't  do  that,  and 
I  don't  see  any  little  cakes  to  eat,  as  she  did, 
that  will  make  me  grow  smaller,  so  I  s'pose  I'll 
just  have  to  scrounch  around  till  I'm  ready  for 
bed,  and  then  slide  in.  I'm  sure  I  shan't  sleep, 
it's  all  so  noisy  and  exciting." 

But  when  she  finally  straightened  herself  out 
on  the  coarse,  cinder-sprinkled  linen  of  the  Pull- 
man, the  chink-a-chunk  /  the  train  changed  to  a 
lullaby,  and  in  about  two  minutes  Patty  was 
sound  asleep. 


CHAPTER  III 

NEW    FRIENDS 

IT  was  about  four  o'clock  the  next  afternoon 
when  the  train  came  puffing  into  the  great  train- 
shed  in  Jersey  City. 

It  had  passed  through  Elmbridge  about  an 
hour  before,  but  being  an  express  train,  it  made 
no  stop  at  such  small  places. 

So  Mr.  St.  Clair  had  arranged  to  meet  Patty  at 
Jersey  City  and  take  her  back  home  with  him. 

Patty  recognized  her  uncle  as  soon  as  he  en- 
tered the  car,  and  ran  to  greet  him. 

"  Howdy,  Uncle  Robert,"  she  said,  in  her 
pretty  southern  way,  "  are  you  looking  for  me  ?  " 

"  I  am,  if  you're  little  Patty  Fairfield.  But 
you've  grown  so  since  I  saw  you  that  I  think  I 
/shall  have  to  ask  for  your  credentials." 

Patty  laughed,  and  answered  :  "  My  creden- 
tials are  that  I  remember  the  doll  and  the  candy 
you  brought  me  five  years  ago,  and  1  just  know 

you're  my  Uncle  Robert." 
19 


20  Patty    Fairfield 

"  I  am  indeed,  and  I've  come  to  carry  you  off 
to  a  lot  of  other  admiring  relatives." 

Then  Patty  introduced  Miss  Powers,  and  after 
gathering  up  the  various  wraps  and  bags  they  all 
left  the  train.  Miss  Powers  was  to  cross  the 
ferry  to  New  York,  so  Patty  and  Uncle  Robert 
escorted  her  to  the  ferry-boat  and  bade  her  good- 
bye, with  many  thanks  for  her  kind  care  of  the 
little  girl  during  the  journey. 

Then  Uncle  Robert  said  :  "  Now  we'll  go  out 
to  Elmbridge  as  quick  as  we  can  skip,  but  first 
we  must  pick  up  Ethelyn,  whom  I  left  in  the 
waiting-room." 

"  Oh,  is  Ethelyn  here  ?  "  cried  Patty.  "  I  am 
so  glad,  I'm  just  crazy  to  see  her." 

Apparently  Ethelyn  was  crazy  too,  for  she  flew 
at  her  cousin  as  soon  as  she  entered  the  door. 

"  You  dear  thing !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  I'm  so 
delighted  to  see  you.  Oh,  how  pretty  you  are ! 
We'll  be  awfully  good  chums,  won't  we  ?  " 

"  I'm  sure  we  shall,"  replied  Patty,  who  was 
just  a  wee  bit  frightened  by  this  dashing  young 
cousin. 

Ethelyn  was  about  Patty's  age,  but  somewhat 
shorter  and  decidedly  less  slender.  Her  yellow 


New  Friends  21 

was  not  long,  indeed  it  was  cut  evenly 
round  just  above  her  shoulders,  but  it  was 
crinkled  and  fluffed  out  until  her  head  had  the 
contour  of  a  yellow  pumpkin. 

A  huge  black  hat  with  a  wide  rolling  brim  was 
perched  on  top  of  the  yellow  mop,  and  orna- 
mented with  feathers  and  shining  buckles. 

Both  the  girls  wore  dark  blue  suits  trimmed 
with  fur,  but  Ethelyn's  was  resplendent  with 
wide  lace-trimmed  collars,  and  she  wore  clatter- 
ing bangles  on  her  wrists,  and  a  fancy  little  muff 
hung  round  her  neck  by  a  silver  chain. 

Her  skirts  were  as  short  as  Patty's,  and  she 
seemed  like  a  little  girl,  and  yet  she  had  a  wise, 
grown-up  air,  and  she  began  to  patronize  her 
cousin  at  once. 

"  Your  frock  is  nice,"  she  said,  "  but  it  has  no 
style  to  it.  Well,  I  suppose  you  couldn't  get 
much  in  the  way  of  dressmakers  where  you 
lived,  but  Madame  Marsala  will  soon  turn  you 
out  all  right.  Mamma  says  she'll  just  enjoy  or- 
dering new  clothes  for  you,  and  your  papa  told 
her  to  get  whatever  she  chose.  Oh,  won't  we 
have  fun  !  We  always  go  to  New  York  for  our 
things,  and  the  shops  are  just  lovely." 


22  Patty   Fairficld 

M  Come,  come,  children,"  said  Uncle  Robert, 
who  had  been  looking  after  Patty's  trunks,  "  the 
train  is  made  up,  let  us  get  aboard." 

They  went  through  one  of  a  whole  row  of 
little  gates  in  an  iron  fence,  and  Patty  wondered 
at  the  numerous  trains  and  the  crowds  of  people 
moving  swiftly  towards  them. 

She  wondered  if  everything  at  the  North  were 
conducted  on  such  a  wholesale  and  such  a  hur- 
rying plan.  They  hurried  along  the  platform  and 
hurried  into  a  car,  then  Uncle  Robert  put  the  two 
children  into  a  seat  together,  while  he  sat  behind 
them  and  devoted  himself  to  his  evening  paper. 

The  girls  chatted  gaily  and  Patty  learned  much 
about  the  home  she  was  going  to,  and  began  to 
think  of  it  as  a  very  beautiful  and  attractive 
place. 

The  train  stopped  at  Elmbridge,  and  without 
waiting  for  her  father,  Ethelyn  piloted  Patty  off 
the  car. 

"  Here's  our  carriage,"  she  said,  as  a  handsome 
pair  of  horses  with  jingling  chains  came  prancing 
up.  A  footman  in  livery  handed  the  young 
ladies  in,  and  Patty  felt  as  if  she  had  come  among 
very  grand  people  indeed. 


New  Friends  23 

While  they  waited  for  Mr.  St.  Clair,  who  was 
giving  the  checks  to  the  baggage-master,  Patty 
admired  the  pretty  little  station  of  rough  gray 
stone,  and  the  neatly  kept  grounds  and  paths  all 
about  it. 

"Yes,  they  are  pretty,"  assented  Ethelyn, 
"  but  just  wait  till  you  see  our  grounds.  We 
have  the  finest  place  in  Elmbridge.  In  summer 
it's  just  lovely." 

Then  Mr.  St.  Clair  came,  and  giving  the 
coachman  the  order  "  Home,"  he  seated  himself 
opposite  the  two  girls. 

"Well,  Patty,  how  do  you  like  it,  so  far?" 
he  asked,  genially,  of  his  niece. 

"  Oh,  Uncle  Robert,  I  think  it's  beautiful,  but 
I  hoped  we'd  have  a  sleigh-ride.  I've  never 
been  in  a  sleigh." 

"  Bless  you,  child,  we  don't  have  much  sleigh- 
ing. However,  perhaps  we  can  scare  up  a  sleigh- 
ride  before  the  winter  is  over.  We  have  a 
oretty  fine  sleigh,  eh,  Ethelyn  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,  we  have  a  beautiful  great  big 
one,  and  I  have  a  little  cutter,  all  my  own.  I'll 
take  you  sleighing,  Patty,  if  we  get  half  a 
chance." 


14  Patty    Fairfield 

Soon  they  reached  the  St.  Clair  home  and 
drove  up  the  long  winding  avenue  to  the  house. 

Patty  saw  a  brilliantly  lighted  mansion,  and  as 
they  drew  near  it,  she  heard  the  most  piercinr 
shrieks  and  yells,  as  of  a  human  being  in  desper- 
ate straits  of  some  kind. 

Patty  wondered  if  she  were  about  to  enter  a 
Bluebeard's  castle,  but  deeming  it  polite  to  take 
no  notice  of  the  uproar,  she  tried  to  appear  un- 
heeding though  the  shrieks  increased  in  violence 
as  they  came  up  to  the  house  and  the  carriage 
stopped  at  the  front  door. 


CHAPTER  IV 

VILLA  ROSA 

«  HERE  we  are,  chickens,"  said  Uncle  Robert 
as  the  footman  threw  open  the  carriage  door, 
"  here's  your  new  home,  Patty,  and  you're  very 
welcome  to  your  Uncle  Robert's  house." 

It  was  almost  dark  and  Patty  could  distinguish 
only  the  outlines  of  a  magnificent  house,  so 
large  that  it  seemed  like  a  palace. 

They  went  up  massive  stone  steps  between 
great  stone  lions,  to  a  wonderful  veranda  bright 
with  electric  lights,  and  lights  streamed  from 
every  window  and  from  the  wide  front  doors 
which  flew  open  as  they  reached  them. 

But  though  all  this  beauty  and  elegance  im- 
pressed  Patty  like  a  dream  of  Fairyland,  she 
paid  little  heed  to  it,  for  she  was  so  shocked  and 
disturbed  by  the  shrieks  from  within,  which  were 
now  distinctly  audible  as  those  of  a  child. 

14  Goodness  me  !  "  exclaimed  Ethelyn,  just  as 
Patty  could  stand  it  no  longer  and  was  about  to 


26  Patty   Fairfield 

ask  what  it  meant, "  what  can  be  the  matter  with 
Florelle  this  time  ?  I  hope  you  enjoy  squealing, 
Patty,  for  you'll  hear  plenty  of  it  in  this  house. 
Don't  mind  it ;  little  sister  has  a  fearful  temper, 
and  we  have  to  let  her  squeal  it  out." 

Patty  was  relieved  to  learn  that  it  wasn't  a 
case  of  intentional  torture,  and  by  this  time  she 
found  herself  in  the  great  hall. 

The  grandeur  of  her  surroundings  fairly 
dazzled  her,  for  Patty  was  an  inexperienced  little 
girl,  and  had  lived  simply,  though  very  comfort- 
ably all  her  life.  And  so  she  looked  with  amaze- 
ment on  the  walls  frescoed  in  brilliant  colors,  the 
enormous  gilt-framed  mirrors,  the  tall  palms  and 
marble  statues,  the  rich  draperies  and  stained- 
glass  windows. 

If  she  had  been  older  and  more  experienced 
she  would  have  known  that  it  was  too  gorgeous, 
the  coloring  too  bright  and  garish,  and  the  orna- 
mentation over-showy.  But  to  her  childish  eyes 
it  all  seemed  wonderfully  fine. 

"  Oh,  Uncle  Robert,"  she  cried,  "  is  this  your 
home  ?  How  beautiful  it  is  !  I  never  saw  such 
a  lovely  place  in  my  life." 

This    speech   pleased    Mr.   St.   Clair   beyond 


Villa  Rosa  27 

measure,  for  he  dearly  loved  to  have  his  beauti- 
ful home  appreciated,  and  he  beamed,  and  rubbed 
his  hands  together  with  a  general  air  of  satis- 
faction. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  he  said,  "  it  is  fine,— -fine  !  There 
isn't  another  such  place  for  miles  around." 

Then  they  went  into  the  drawing-room  and 
Patty  was  presented  to  her  Aunt  Isabel. 

Mrs.  St.  Clair  was  a  fair,  large  woman,  with 
golden  hair,  elaborately  frizzed,  and  kind  blue 
eyes.  She  was  fashionably  dressed,  and  her 
silks  rustled  and  her  bugles  tinkled  as  she  came 
jorward  to  meet  her  visitor. 

"  I  am  charmed  to  see  you,  Patty,  my  dear," 
she  said,  kissing  her  affectionately. 

"  And  I  am  very  glad  to  be  here,  Aunt  Isabel," 
said  Patty,  and  just  then  she  was  interrupted  by 
the  violent  entrance  of  what  seemed  to  be  a 
small  pink  cyclone. 

This  was  the  eight  year  old  Florelle,  and  with- 
out a  doubt  it  was  she  who  was  responsible  for 
the  shrieks  Patty  had  heard. 

The  child  wore  a  short,  beruffled  dress  of  pink 
silk,  a  huge  pink  sash,  and  pink  stockings  and 
slippers.  Her  eyes  were  reddened  with  crying 


28  Patty   Fairfield 

and  her  cheeks  were  tear-stained,  and  she  ran  to 
Patty,  screaming : 

"I  will!  I  will!  She's  my  cousin,  and  I'm 
going  to  see  her  now" 

Then  she  threw  her  arms  round  Patty's  waist, 
and  smiled  up  into  her  face.  She  was  a  very 
pretty  little  girl  when  she  smiled,  and  Patty 
couldn't  help  admiring  her,  though  so  far  she  had 
seemed  like  anything  but  a  lovable  character. 

"  Oh,  Florelle,"  said  her  mother,  mildly,  "  how 
naughty  you  are.  I  told  you  to  go  to  bed  like  a 
goody  girl,  and  you  should  see  Cousin  Patty  in 
the  morning." 

"  But  I  wanted  to  see  her  to-night.  So  I  made 
nurse  dress  me,  and  I'm  going  to  stay  up  to  dinner." 

"  Let  her  stay,  mamma,"  said  Ethelyn.  "  If  you 
don't,  she'll  yell  again,  and  I'm  tired  of  hearing 
her." 

"  Yes,  you  can  stay,  baby,"  said  Mrs.  St.  Clair, 
"  and  now,  Ethelyn,  take  Patty  to  her  room,  and 
get  yourselves  ready  for  dinner." 

The  two  girls  went  off  together,  and  Patty 
discovered  that  the  rest  of  the  house  was  as 
sumptuous  as  her  first  view  of  it. 

The  same  brilliant  coloring  and  florid  orna- 


Villa  Rosa  29 

mentation  appeared  everywhere,  and  when  at 
last  Ethelyn  stopped  before  an  open  door,  and 
said,  "  This  is  your  room,"  Patty  gave  a  little  cry 
of  delight,  for  she  entered  what  seemed  a  vert- 
table  fairy  bower. 

The  walls  and  ceiling  were  tinted  pink  and 
frescoed  with  garlands  of  roses  and  flying  birds. 
There  was  a  fascinating  bay  window  with  latticed 
panes,  and  a  cozy  window-seat  with  soft  cushions. 
The  brass  bedstead  had  a  lace  coverlet  over  pink 
silk,  and  the  toilet-table  had  frilled  curtains  and 
pink  ribbons.  There  were  silver-mounted 
brushes  and  bottles  and  knickknacks  of  all 
kinds.  The  little  work-table  was  a  gem,  and 
there  was  a  lovely  writing-desk  with  silver  ap- 
pointments and  pink  blotting-paper.  Then 
there  was  a  cozy  divan,  with  lots  of  fluffy  pink 
pillows,  and  through  a  half-opened  door,  Patty 
could  see  a  dear  little  dressing-room. 

There  were  beautiful  pictures  on  the  walls, 
and  costly  vases  and  bric-a-brac  all  about,  and  it 
all  showed  such  kind  thought  on  the  part  of 
somebody,  that  Patty's  heart  was  touched. 

"  Is  it  for  me  ?  Who  did  it  all  ?"  she  asked, 
turning  to  Ethelyn  with  shining  eyes. 


30  Patty   Fair  field 

"  Oh,  mamma  did  it ;  she  loves  to  do  sucn 
things.  That  is,  she  planned  it,  and  the  servants 
did  the  work.  Here's  my  room  right  next.  It's 
just  like  it,  almost."  So  it  was,  or  at  least  it  hud 
been,  but  it  showed  signs  of  carelessness  and 
disorder.  A  lamp  globe  was  broken,  and  there 
was  a  large  hole  burned  in  one  of  the  pretty 
rugs.  The  toilet  table,  too,  was  in  sad  disarray, 
and  some  papers  were  sticking  out  of  the  closed 
desk. 

"  Don't  look  at  it,"  said  Ethelyn,  apologetic- 
ally, "  I'm  so  careless.  I  broke  that  globe  when 
I  was  swinging  my  dumb-bells,  and  I've  done  it 
so  often  that  mamma  declared  she  wouldn't  get 
me  another.  And  I  upset  the  alcohol  lamp  on  the 
rug.  But  I  don't  care  ;  when  we  have  a  party  it 
will  all  get  spruced  up  ;  mamma  has  everything 
put  in  order  then.  Now  we'll  dress  for  dinner. 
Patty.  What  are  you  going  to  wear  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know ;  I  haven't  many  dresses. 
Aunt  Isabel  is  going  to  buy  me  some,  you 
know." 

"  Yes,  I  know.     Let's  see  what  you  have." 

Ethelyn  was  already  kneeling  before  Patty's 
open  trunk,  and  overhauling  her  belongings- 


Villa  Rosa  31 

"  Oh,  here's  a  blue  crape,"  she  cried,  "  you  must 
look  sweet  in  this.     Put  it  on." 

"  Why,  that's  my  best  party-frock,  Ethelyn." 

"  Never  mind  ;  wear  it  to-night,  and  mamma'll 
get  you  some  new  party  clothes." 

So  Patty  put  on  the  blue  crape,  and  very  be- 
coming it  was,  though  somewhat  inappropriate 
for  a  quiet  family  dinner. 

"  We  only  have  one  maid  between  us,"  ex- 
plained Ethelyn,  calling  from  her  own  room  into 
Patty's.  "  Elise  will  do  your  hair  when  you 
want  her,  but  just  now  she's  doing  mine." 

To  Patty's  surprise,  when  she  saw  Ethelyn 
again,  she  was  arrayed  in  a  light  green  silk 
dress,  and  her  hair  was  puffed  high  on  her  head. 
Patty  wore  hers  as  usual,  and  felt  as  if  her  cousin 
had  suddenly  grown  up  away  from  her. 

"  Doesn't  my  hair  look  nice  ?  "  asked  Ethelyn, 
as  the  girls  went  down-stairs  together.  "  Mamma 
says  I'm  too  young  to  have  it  done  up  this 
way  yet,  but  I  don't  care  what  she  says.  I'm 
fifteen,  and  I  think  I'm  old  enough  to  do  as  I 
choose.  To-morrow  we'll  make  Elise  do  yours 
up  and  see  how  you  look." 
i  "  But  I'm  only  fourteen,"  protested  Patty, 


32  Patty   Fairfield 

"  and  I  don't  want  to  be  grown  up  for  years  yet. 
Your  hair  looks  lovely,  but  I  like  you  better 
with  it  down,  as  it  was  this  afternoon." 

"  Don't  say  so  before  mamma,  or  she'll  insist 
on  my  wearing  it  so." 

When  the  girls  entered  the  drawing-room, 
Mrs.  St.  Clair  smiled  amiably  at  her  pretty  niece, 
and  bade  her  come  to  her  side. 

"  My  dear,"  she  said,  "  you  are  a  pretty  little 
girl,  and  a  sweet  one,  I've  no  doubt,  but  your 
name  I  do  not  like  at  all.  I  can't  abide  nick- 
names, so  I'm  going  to  call  you  by  your  full 
name.  What  is  it,  Martha  ?  " 

"  Martha  !  "  exclaimed  Patty  in  surprise,  "  oh, 
no,  Aunt  Isabel,  I  was  named  for  my  great- 
grandmother.  My  name  is  Patricia." 

"  Oh,  how  lovely,"  cried  Aunt  Isabel,  kissing 
her  niece  in  the  exuberance  of  her  delight. 
"  We  will  all  call  you  Patricia.  It  is  a  beautiful 
name  and  suits  you  extremely  well.  You  must 
stand  very  straight,  and  acquire  dignified  man- 
ners in  order  to  live  up  to  it." 

This  made  merry  Patty  laugh,  but  she  offered 
no  objection  to  her  aunt's  decision,  and  promised 
to  sign  her  name  Patricia  whenever  she  wrote  it, 


Villa  Rosa  33 

and  to  make  no  further  use  of  the  despised  uick- 
name  while  staying  at  Villa  Rosa.  Ethelyn  was 
pleased  too,  at  the  change. 

"  Oh,"  she  said,  "  now  your  name  is  as  pretty 
as  mine  and  Florelle's,  and  we  have  the  prettiest 
names  in  Elmbridge.  Here  comes  Reginald, 
you  haven't  seen  him  yet." 

Reginald  St.  Clair,  a  lad  of  thirteen,  advanced 
without  a  trace  of  shyness  and  greeted  his  new 
cousin. 

"So  it  is  Patricia,"  he  said,  as  he  took  her 
hand ;  «  I  heard  them  rechristening  you.  Hew 
do  you  do,  Cousin  Patricia  ?  " 

"  Very  well,  I  thank  you,"  she  replied,  smiling, 
«  and  though  I  meet  you  the  last  of  my  new 
cousins,  you  are  not  the  least,"  and  she  glanced 
up  at  him,  for  Reginald  was  a  tall  boy  for  his 
age,  taller  than  either  Ethelyn  or  Patty. 

"  Not  the  least  in  any  way,  as  you'll  soon  find 
out  if  you  stay  with  us,  Cousin  Patricia." 

Patty  almost  laughed  at  this  boastful  assump- 
tion of  importance,  but  seeing  that  the  boy  was 
in  earnest,  she  humored  him  by  saying  : 

"  As  the  only  son,  I  suppose  you  are  the 
flower  of  the  family." 


34  Patty   Fairfield 

Then  dinner  was  announced,  and  the  beautiful 
dining-room  was  a  new  pleasure  to  the  little  vis- 
itor. She  was  rapidly  making  the  discovery  that 
riches  and  luxury  were  very  agreeable,  and  she 
viewed  with  delight  the  handsome  table  spark- 
ling with  fine  glass  and  silver. 

"  Well,  Patricia,"  said  Uncle  Robert,  who  had 
been  warned  against  using  the  objectionable 
nickname,  "  how  do  you  like  Villa  Rosa  so  far  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  think  it  is  beautiful,  Uncle  Robert. 
Every  room  is  handsomer  than  the  last,  and  my 
own  room  I  like  best  of  all.  You're  awfully 
good,  Aunt  Isabel,  to  give  me  such  a  lovely 
room,  and  to  spend  so  much  thought  and  time 
arranging  it  for  me." 

"And  money,  too,"  said  her  aunt,  smiling. 
"  That  rug  in  your  room,  Patricia,  cost  four  hun- 
dred dollars." 

"  Did  it  really  ?  "  said  Patty,  with  such  a  look 
of  amazement,  almost  horror,  that  they  all 
kughed. 

You  see,  Patty  had  never  been  used  to  such 
expensive  rugs,  still  less  had  she  been  accus- 
tomed to  hearing  the  prices  of  things  mentioned 
so  freely. 


Villa  Rosa  35 

"  Oh,  Aunt  Isabel,  I'd  rather  not  have  it  then. 
Really,  I'd  much  rather  have  a  cheaper  one. 
Suppose  I  should  spoil  it  in  some  way." 

"  Nonsense,  my  dear,  spoil  it  if  you  like,  I'll 
buy  you  another,"  said  Uncle  Robert,  grandly. 

"  Never  mind  rugs,"  interrupted  Reginald.  "  I 
say,  mother,  aren't  you  going  to  give  a  party  for 
Patricia  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  think  so,"  answered  his  mother,  "  but 
I  haven't  decided  yet  what  kind  of  an  affair  it 
shall  be." 

"  Oh,  have  a  smashing  big  party,  and  invite 
everybody." 

"  No,  Reginald,"  said  Ethleyn,  "  I  hate  those 
big  parties,  they're  no  fun  at  all.  It  isn't  going 
to  be  a  party  anyway.  It's  going  to  be  a  tea. 
Didn't  you  say  so,  mamma  ?  A  tea  is  a  much 
nicer  way  to  introduce  Patricia  than  a  party." 

"  Ho,  ho,"  laughed  her  brother,  "  a  tea !  why 
they're  the  most  stupid  things  in  the  world. 
Nobody  wants  to  come  to  a  tea." 

"  They  do  so,"  retorted  Ethelyn,  "  you  don't 
know  anything  about  society.  Teas  are  ever  so 
much  stylisher  than  evening  entertainments, 
wen't  they,  mamma  ?  " 


36  Patty   Fairfield 

«  Well,  I  don't  know,"  said  Mrs.  St.  Clair, 
doubtfully,  "  the  Crandons  gave  a  tea  when  their 
cousin  visited  them." 

"  Ho,  the  Crandons,"  sneered  Ethelyn,"  they're 
nobody  at  all ;  why,  they've  only  got  one  horse." 

"  I  know  it,"  said  her  mother,  "  but  they're 
awfully  exclusive.  They  won't  speak  to  hardly 
anybody." 

"  Then  don't  speak  to  them,"  said  Mr.  St. 
Clair.  "  I  just  guess  we're  as  good  as  the  Cran- 
dons any  day  in  the  week.  I  don't  know  as 
you'd  better  invite  them,  my  dear." 

"  They  wouldn't  come  if  you  did,"  said  Regi- 
nald. 

"  They  would  so,"  snapped  Ethelyn,  "  they'd 
jump  at  the  chance." 

"  I  bet  they  wouldn't ! " 

"  I  bet  they  would  !  You  don't  know  every- 
thing in  the  world." 

"  Neither  do  you !  " 

«  Hush,  children,"  said  Mrs.  St.  Clair,  mildly, 
"  your  Cousin  Patricia  will  think  you  very  rude 
and  unmannerly  if  you  quarrel  so.  Florelle  is 
the  only  one  who  is  behaving  nicely,  aren't  you, 
darling  ?  " 


Villa  Rosa  37 

Florelle  beamed  at  this,  and  looked  like  a  little 
cherub,  until  Reginald  slyly  took  a  cake  froro 
her  plate. 

"  Oh-h-h  !  "  screamed  Florelle,  bursting  intc 
tears,  "  he  took  my  cakie,  he  did, — give  it  tc 
me  !  "  and  she  began  pounding  her  brother  with 
her  small  fists. 

But  Reginald  had  eaten  it,  and  no  other  cake 
on  the  plate  would  pacify  the  angry  child. 

"  No,  no,"  she  cried,  "  I  want  that  same  one 
— it  had  a  green  nut  on  it, — and  I  wa-a-ant  it ! " 

"  But  brother  can't  give  it  to  you,  baby,  he's 
eaten  it,"  said  her  father,  vainly  trying  to  console 
her  with  other  dainties. 

But  Florelle  continued  to  scream,  and  Mrs.  St 
Clair  was  obliged  to  summon  the  nurse  and  have 
her  taken  up-stairs. 

"Well,  that's  a  relief,"  said  Ethelyn,  as  the 
struggling  child  was  carried  away.  "  I  told  you 
you'd  hear  her  yell  pretty  often,  Patricia." 

Patty  felt  rather  embarrassed,  and  didn't  know 
what  to  say;  she  was  beginning  to  think  Villa 
Rosa  had  some  thorns  as  well  as  roses. 

After  dinner,  as  they  sat  round  the  great  fire- 
place in  the  library,  Mrs.  St.  Clair  annou»ced : 


38  Patty   Fairfield 

"  I  have  made  up  my  mind.  I  will  give  a  tea 
for  Patricia  in  order  that  she  may  be  properly 
introduced  to  the  Elmbridge  people, — the  best 
of  them, — and  then  later,  we  will  have  a  laige 
party  for  her." 

This  pleased  everybody  and  amiability  was 
restored,  and  all  fell  to  making  plans  for  the 
future  pleasures  of  their  guest. 

When  Patty  went  to  her  room  that  night,  she 
was  so  tired  out  with  the  excitements  of  the  day, 
that  she  was  glad  to  go  to  rest. 

But  first  of  all  she  opened  the  little  box  that 
Jiier  father  had  given  her  at  parting.  Was  it 
possible  that  she  had  left  her  father  only  the  day 
before  ?  Already  it  seemed  like  weeks. 

With  eager  fingers  she  broke  the  seals  and 
tore  off  the  paper  wrappings,  and  found  to 
her  great  delight  an  ivory  miniature  of  her 
mother. 

She  had  seen  the  picture  often ;  it  had  been 
one  of  her  father's  chief  treasures,  and  she  prized 
it  the  more  highly  as  she  thought  what  a  sacri- 
fice it  must  have  been  for  him  to  give  it  up,  even 
to  his  child. 

It  was  in  a  Florentine  gold  frame,  and  Patty 


Villa  Rosa  39 

placed  it  in  the  centre  of  her  dressing-table,  and 
then  sat  down  and  gazed  earnestly  at  it. 

She  saw  a  sweet,  girlish  face,  which  was  very 
like  her  own,  though  she  didn't  recognize  the 
resemblance. 

"  Dear  mother,"  she  said  softly,  "  I  will  try  to 
be  just  such  a  little  girl  as  you  would  have 
wished  me  to  be  if  you  had  lived  to  love  me." 


CHAPTER  V 

A   MINUET 

'  MAMMA,"  said  Ethelyn,  the  next  morning  at 
oreakfast,  "  I'm  going  to  take  a  holiday  from 
lessons  to-day,  because  Patricia  has  just  come, 
and  she  doesn't  want  to  begin  to  study  right 
away." 

"  Indeed,  miss,  you'll  do  nothing  of  the  sort," 
replied  her  mother ;  "  you  had  a  holiday  yester- 
day because  Patricia  was  coming;  and  one  the 
day  before,  on  account  of  Mabel  Miller's  tea; 
and  you  had  holiday  all  last  week  because  of  the 
Fancy  Bazaar.  When  do  you  expect  to  learn 
anything  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  don't  care,"  said  Ethelyn,  tossing  her 
head,  "  I'm  going  to  stay  with  Patricia  to-day, 
anyhow ;  if  she  goes  to  the  schoolroom,  I  will, 
and  if  she  don't,  I  won't." 

"  Oh,  I'll  go  to  school  with  you,  Ethelyn,"  said 
Patty,  anxious  to  please  both  her  aunt  and 
cousin  if  possible. 

40 


A  Minuet  41 

But  Mrs.  St.  Clair  said,  "  No,  indeed,  Patricia, 
you  don't  want  to  begin  lessons  yet.  Why, 
you're  scarcely  rested  from  your  journey.  I  am 
going  to  New  York  to-day  to  buy  you  some 
new  dresses,  and  if  you're  not  too  tired,  you 
may  go  with  me  and  help  select  them." 

"  Well,  I  just  guess  Patricia  won't  go  to  New 
York,  unless  I  go  too,"  cried  Ethelyn  in  great 
excitement.  "  Do  you  think  I'll  stay  at  home 
and  grub  in  the  schoolroom  while  she's  having  a 
good  time  in  the  city?  Not  much,  my  Mary 
Anne !  " 

"  Ethelyn ! "  said  her  mother,  reprovingly, 
"  how  many  times  must  I  tell  you  not  to  use 
slang?  It  is  vulgar  and  unladylike,  and  quite 
out  of  keeping  with  your  social  position." 

"  I  don't  care ;  it's  expressive  if  it  isn't  stylish." 

"  Don't  say  stylish,  either.  That  isn't  gen- 
teel at  all.  Say  '  correct.'  " 

"  Oh, '  correct.1  Well,  mother,  I  guess  it  must 
be  correct  to  use  slang,  'cause  Gladys  Mahoney 
does,  and  she's  a  hummer  on  style." 

"  And  I've  no  doubt  her  mother  reproves  her 
for  it,  just  as  I  do  you.  Now  go  to  the  school- 
room, it  is  nearly  ten  o'clock." 


*2  Patty   Fairficld 

"  I  won't  go  unless  Patricia  comes  too.  If 
she's  going  to  New  York  with  you,  I'm  going." 

"  Ethelyn,"  said  Mrs.  St.  Clair,  sternly,  "  do  as 
.  bid  you.  Go  to  the  schoolroom  at  once,  and 
study  your  lessons  diligently." 

"  No,  I  won't,"  replied  Ethelyn,  stubbornly, "  I 
won't  stir  a  step  unless  Patty  comes  too." 

"  But  I'm  going  to  take  Patricia  to  New  York." 

"  Then  I'm  going  to  New  York,"  said  Ethelyn, 
with  an  air  of  settling  the  question,  and  then  she 
began  drumming  on  the  table  with  her  fingers. 

"  I  want  to  go  to  New  York  with  you,  mamma," 
said  Florelle ;  "  I  want  to  buy  a  new  dolly." 

"  No,  baby,"  said  her  mother,  "  you  can't  go 
this  time.  You  stay  at  home  like  a  good  girlie, 
and  I'll  bring  you  a  beautiful  new  doll." 

"  But  I  want  to  go  !  I  will  go !  "  and  Florelle 
began  to  cry. 

"  Stop  that  crying,"  said  her  father,  "  stop  it  at 
once,  and  when  I  come  home  I'll  bring  you  a  big 
box  of  candy." 

"  No,  I  don't  want  candy, — I  want  to  go  to 
New  York, — I  want  to  go — I  do-o-o,"  she  wound 
up  with  a  prolonged  wail. 

«•  Good  gracious,  Florelle,"  said  Reginald,  "  do 


A  Minuet  43 

stop  that  fearful  yowling.  If  you  don't,  as  soon 
as  I  go  down  town  I'll  send  a  bear  back  here  to 
eat  you  up." 

At  this  Florelle  screamed  louder  than  ever,  and 
had  to  be  taken  away  from  the  table. 

Patty  felt  quite  helpless  in  the  midst  of  this 
commotion.  She  had  been  accustomed  to  obey 
willingly  her  father's  lightest  wish,  and  Ethelyn's 
impertinence  amazed  her.  As  for  little  Florelle, 
she  thought  the  child  was  quite  old  enough  to  be 
reasoned  with,  and  taught  not  to  cry  so  violently 
over  every  trifle. 

But  she  realized  it  was  not  her  place  to  criti' 
rise  her  cousins'  behavior,  so  she  did  the  best 
she  could  to  pour  oil  on  the  troubled  waters. 

"  Aunt  Isabel,"  she  said,  "  if  you  don't  mind, 
I'll  stay  at  home  and  study  with  Ethelyn." 

"  Well,  do  as  you  like,  child,"  said  her  aunt, 
carelessly ;  "  of  course  I  can  select  your  clothes 
just  as  well  without  you,  and  I'll  take  you  both 
to  New  York  some  Saturday.  But  you  needn't 
study  unless  you  choose,  you  know." 

"  Well,  I'll  stay  with  Ethelyn,  anyway,"  said 
Patty,  tucking  her  arm  through  her  cousin's  as 
they  went  off  to  the  schoolroom. 


44  Patty   Fairfield 

"  What  a  mean  old  thing  you  are,"  said  Ethfc- 
lyn  crossly.  "  You  might  just  as  well  have  said 
you'd  go  to  New  York,  and  then  I  would  have 
gone  too,  and  we  could  have  had  a  lovely  time 
shopping,  and  lunching  at  Delmonico's,  and  per- 
haps going  to  a  matinee." 

"  But  your  mother  said  you  couldn't  go,"  said 
Patty,  in  surprise. 

"  Oh,  that's  nothing.  I  would  have  gone  all 
the  same,  and  now  you've  spoiled  it  all  and  we've 
got  to  drudge  over  our  books.  Here's  the  school- 
room. Miss  Morton,  this  is  my  cousin,  Patricia 
Fairfield.  She  is  to  begin  lessons  to-day." 

While  Ethelyn  was  talking,  the  girls  had 
mounted  to  the  third  floor  of  the  great  house,  and 
entered  the  large  and  attractive-looking  school- 
room. 

Miss  Morton  was  a  sweet-laced  young  woman, 
who  greeted  Ethelyn  pleasantly  and  then  turned 
cordially  to  the  stranger. 

"  We  are  glad  to  have  you  with  us,"  she  said ; 
"  you  may  sit  here  at  this  desk,  and  presently  I 
will  ask  you  some  questions  about  your  studies." 

Reginald  was  already  in  his  place  and  was 
studying  away  for  dear  life.  He  was  naturally  a 


A  Minuet  45 

studious  boy,  and  he  was  anxious  to  prepare  him- 
self to  enter  a  certain  school  the  next  year. 

But  Ethelyn  had  no  taste  for  study,  and  she 
flounced  herself  into  her  chair  and  unwillingly 
took  up  her  books. 

"  Now,  Ethelyn,"  said  Miss  Morton,  "  you  must 
learn  that  history  lesson  to-day.  You've  dawdled 
over  it  so  long,  that  it  has  become  a  real  bug- 
bear to  you.  But  I'm  sure  if  you  determine  to 
conquer  it,  you  can  easily  do  so.  Just  try  it." 

"  Ho,"  called  out  Reginald,  teasingly,  "  can't 
learn  a  history  lesson !  I  couldn't  wait  for  you, 
so  I  went  on  ahead.  I'm  'way  over  to  the 
'  Founding  of  the  German  Empire.'  Where  are 
you  in  history,  Patricia  ?  " 

"  I've  only  studied  United  States  History,"  she 
replied,  a  little  ashamed  of  her  small  attainments, 
"  but  I've  been  through  that  twice." 

"  Well,"  said  Miss  Morton,  kindly,  "  it's  better 
to  know  one  thing  thoroughly  than  to  have 
smatterings  of  a  great  many.  If  you  are  familiar 
with  United  States  History,  you  will  enjoy  lessons 
in  the  history  of  other  countries  for  a  change." 

"  I'm  sure  I  shall,"  said  Patty,  "  and  iry  father 
told  me  to  study  whatever  you  thought  best  for 


4.6  Patty   Fairfield 

me.     But  I  don't  like  to  study  very  much ,  I'd 
rather  read  story  books." 

Miss  Morton  examined  Patty  in  arithmetic, 
geography,  and  some  other  branches,  and  de- 
cided that  as  her  attainments  in  knowledge  were 
about  equal  to  those  of  her  cousins,  they  might 
all  have  the  same  lessons  each  day. 

Patty  afterwards  discovered  that  Reginald 
learned  these  lessons,  and  Ethelyn  did  not.  But 
she  simply  skipped  them  and  went  on  to  the 
next,  apparently  making  the  same  progress  as 
her  brother. 

Patty  had  become  absorbed  in  her  history  le& 
son,  which  was  very  interesting,  when  Ethelyn 
began  to  chatter. 

"  Miss  Morton,"  she  said,  "  we  are  going  to 
have  a  party  for  my  cousin." 

"  Are  you  ?  That  will  be  very  nice,  but  don't 
let  us  discuss  it  now,  for  I  want  you  to  put  your 
whole  attention  on  that  history  lesson." 

"  I  will, — but,  Miss  Morton,  it's  going  to  be  a 
very  grand  party.  Everybody  in  Elmbridge  will 
be  invited.  I  mean,"  she  added,  tossing  her  head, 
**  everybody  that  is  anybody." 

"  Everybody   is    somebody,"   said    Reginald. 


A  Minuet  47 

without  looking  up  from  his  book,  "  and  I  wish 
you'd  keep  still,  Ethelyn." 

"  Well,  you  know  what  I  mean ;  everybody 
that's  rich  and  important,  and  fit  for  us  to 
know." 

"  Why,"  said  Patty,  looking  at  her  cousin  in 
surprise,  "  aren't  people  fit  for  you  to  know  un- 
less they're  rich  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Ethelyn,  "  I  wouldn't  associate 
with  people  unless  they  were  rich,  and  neither 
would  you,  Patricia." 

"  Yes,  I  would,"  said  Patty,  stoutly,  "  if  they 
were  good  and  wise  and  refined,  and  they  often 
are." 

"  Well,  you  can't  associate  with  them  while 
you're  living  with  us,  anyhow  ;  we  only  go  with 
the  swells." 

"  Ethelyn,"  said  Miss  Morton,  gently,  "  that 
isn't  the  right  way  to  talk.  I  think " 

"  Oh,  never  mind  what  you  think,"  said 
Ethelyn,  rudely,  "  you  know  the  last  time  you 
preached  to  me,  I  nearly  made  mamma  discharge 
you,  and  I'll  do  it  for  sure  if  you  try  it  again." 

Miss  Morton  bit  her  lip  and  said  nothing,  for 
she  was  a  poor  girl  and  had  no  wish  to  lose  her 


48  Patty   Fairfield 

lucrative  position  in  the  St.  Clair  household, 
though  her  ideas  were  widely  at  variance  with 
those  of  her  employers.  But  Patty's  sense  of 
justice  was  roused. 

"  Oh,  Ethelyn,"  she  said,  "  how  can  you  speak 
to  your  teacher  so  ?  You  ought  to  be  ashamed 
of  yourself." 

"  Oh,  Miss  Morton  don't  mind,  do  you  ?  "  said 
Ethelyn,  who  was  really  only  careless,  and  had 
no  wish  to  be  unkind,  "  and  it's  true.  I  will 
have  her  sent  away  if  she  preaches  at  us,  'cause  I 
hate  it ;  but  she  won't  preach  any  more,  will  you, 
Morty  ?  "  and  Ethelyn  smiled  at  her  governess  in 
a  wheedlesome  way. 

"  Go  on  with  your  lessons,"  said  Miss  Morton, 
in  a  quiet  tone,  though  she  was  with  difficulty 
repressing  a  desire  to  tell  her  pupil  what  bhe 
thought  of  her. 

"  Yes,  do,"  growled  Reginald ;  "  how  can  a  fel- 
low study  when  you're  chattering  away  with 
your  shrill  voice  ?  " 

"  I  haven't  got  a  shrill  voice,"  retorted  Ethelyn, 
"have  I,  Patricia?  Mamma  says  a  soft,  low 
voice  is  very  stylish, — correct,  I  mean,  and  I'm 
<ure  mine  is  low  and  soft" 


A  Minuet  4C 

Ethelyn  said  this  in  such  an  affected  whispei 
that  Patty  had  to  smile. 

But  Reginald  said : 

"  Pooh,  of  course  you  have  when  you  put  on 
airs  like  that,  but  naturally  your  voice  is  a  cross 
between  a  locomotive  whistle  and  scratching  on 
a  slate." 

"  It  isn't !  " 

«  It  is  !  " 

"  Well,  yours  isn't  a  bit  better,  anyway." 

"  I  didn't  say  it  was,  did  I  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  say  you  did  say  so,  did  I  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  say  you  said  I  said  so,  did  I  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  say  you  said,  I  said — you  said, " 

«  Children,  stop  quarreling,"  said  Miss  Mor- 
ton, half  laughing  at  the  angry  combatants  whose 
flushed  faces  showed  signs  of  coming  tears. 

But  Patty  laughed  outright.  "What  sillies 
you  are,"  she  said,  "  to  squabble  so  over 
nothing." 

When  school  was  over,  it  was  time  for  lunch- 
con,  and  after  that  Ethelyn  told  Patty  that  it 
was  the  afternoon  for  dancing-class  and  they 
were  all  to  go. 

*  You  must  wear  your  blue  crape,  Patricia." 


fo  Patty   Fairfield 

she  said,  "  and  make  yourself  look  as  pretty  as 
you  can,  and  put  on  all  your  jewelry." 

"  But  I  haven't  any  jewelry,"  said  Patty ; 
"  papa  says  little  girls  oughtn't  to  wear  any." 

"  No  jewelry  ?  Why,  how  funny.  I  have 
loads  of  it.  Well,  no  matter,  I'll  lend  you  some 
of  mine ;  or  we'll  crib  some  out  of  mamma's 
jewel-case  ;  I  know  where  she  hides  the  key." 

"  Thank  you,  Ethelyn,  but  I  wouldn't  wear 
borrowed  ornaments,  and  I  don't  want  to  wear 
jewelry  anyway.  I'm  not  old  enough." 

"  Oh,  you  are  too !  what  silly,  old-fashioned 
notions  you  have.  And  besides,  while  you're 
with  us,  mamma  said  you  must  do  whatever  we 
want  you  to." 

So  Patty  reluctantly  allowed  Ethelyn  to  clasp 
a  necklace  round  her  throat,  and  slip  several 
jingling  bangles  on  her  wrists. 

"  There ! "  said  Ethelyn,  adding  an  emerald 
brooch,  which  she  had  selected  from  her  mother's 
collection,  "  now  you  don't  look  like  a  pauper 
anyhow." 

"  But  I  don't  feel  comfortable,  Ethelyn,  and 
besides,  suppose  I  should  lose  these  things." 

"  C*h,  you  won't  lose  them ;  and  if  you  should. 


A  Minuet  51 

I  don't  believe  mamma  would  scold  much. 
She'd  like  it  better  than  if  I  let  you  go  look- 
ing like  a  nobody,  and  have  the  Mahoneys  think 
our  cousin  was  poor." 

Ethelyn  herself  was  resplendent  in  red  silk 
trimmed  with  spangled  lace.  She  wore  shining 
slippers  with  high  French  heels,  and  all  the 
jewelry  she  could  cram  on  to  her  small  person. 

Florelle  looked  like  a  fairy  in  a  short  little 
white  frock,  all  fine  muslin  and  lace,  with  ruffles 
and  frills  that  stood  out  in  every  direction.  The 
overdressed  little  midget  was  delighted  with  her 
appearance,  and  pranced  around  in  front  of  the 
mirror  admiring  herself.  Reginald  too,  con- 
sidered himself  very  fine  in  his  black  velvet  suit, 
with  a  great  white  collar  and  immense  white  silk 
tie. 

Miss  Morton  accompanied  the  children,  and 
the  St.  Clair  carriage  carried  them  away  to  the 
dancing  class.  When  they  arrived,  all  was  bustle 
and  excitement.  About  forty  gaily  dressed 
children  were  assembled  in  a  large  hall,  prettily 
decorated  with  flags  and  flowers. 

Patty  was  fond  of  dancing,  and  danced  very 
gracefully  in  her  slow,  Southern  way,  but  she 


£2  Patty   Fairfield 

was  utterly  unfamiliar  with  the  mincing  steps 
and  elaborate  contortions  attempted  by  the 
Elmbridge  young  people.  However,  she  en- 
joyed it  all  from  its  very  novelty,  and  she  was 
pleasantly  impressed  with  some  of  the  boys  and 
girls  to  whom  she  was  introduced. 

But  she  was  amazed  and  almost  angry  at  the 
way  her  cousin  talked  about  her. 

*  Mabel,"  said  Ethelyn,  as  she  presented  Patty 
to  Mabel  Miller,  "  this  is  my  cousin,  Patricia 
Fairfield.  She  is  from  Richmond,  Virginia,  and 
is  visiting  us  for  the  winter.  Her  father  is  a 
millionaire,  and  he  has  lots  of  great  plantations 
of, — of  magnolias." 

"  Oh,  no,  Ethelyn,"  began  Patty. 

"  Well,  sweet  potatoes,  then,  or  something," 
went  on  Ethelyn,  nudging  her  cousin  to  keep 
still.  "  You  must  excuse  her  dress,  she  couldn't 
get  anything  very  nice  in  Virginia  so  mamma 
has  gone  to  New  York  to-day  to  buy  her  some 
decent  clothes." 

Patty  raged  inwardly  at  this  slighting  and  un- 
Just  remark  about  her  native  state,  but  she  was 
a  truly  polite  little  girl  and  said  nothing  unkinc 
in  reply. 


A  Minuet  ^ 

"  Do  you  like  to  dance  ?  "  said  Mabel  Miller  to 
Patty  later,  as  they  took  places  in  a  quadrille  just 
forming. 

"  Yes,"  said  Patty, "  and  I  know  these  quadrilles, 
but  I  never  saw  fancy  dances  like  those  you  have 
here." 

"  Oh,  they're  the  latest  thing,"  replied  Mabel. 
*  Professor  Dodson  comes  from  New  York, 
and  he  teaches  us  the  newest  and  swellest 
steps." 

As  that  day  was  the  last  of  the  quarter  the 
professor  had  arranged  a  little  exhibition  of  his 
best  pupils,  and  a  good-sized  audience  was 
gathered  in  the  galleries  above  the  dancing  floor 
to  witness  it. 

But  it  was  a  surprise  to  all  present  when  he 
announced  that  a  friend  whose  name  he  was  not 
privileged  to  mention,  had  offered  a  prize  to  the 
child  who  should  dance  most  gracefully,  either 
alone  or  with  a  partner. 

"  You  can't  get  it,  Ethelyn,"  said  Reginald, 
"  for  you're  as  awkward  as  a  lame  elephant." 

"  I  am  not,"  snapped  Ethelyn,  "  and  you'd 
better  not  try  for  it,  'cause  you'd  only  make  a 
spectacle  of  yourself." 


£4  Patty   Fairfield 

"  So  would  you,"  retorted  Reginald,"  and  then 
we'd  be  a  pair  of  spectacles." 

Ethelyn  said  no  more,  for  the  dances  were 
beginning. 

Some  of  the  pupils  danced  very  prettily, 
others  affectedly,  and  others  cleverly,  but  the 
dances  were  of  a  kicking,  romping  nature  that 
required  much  practice  and  skill  to  perform 
gracefully. 

After  all  had  taken  part,  Professor  Dodson 
turned  politely  to  Patty,  and  invited  her,  if  she 
would,  to  dance  also. 

"  Oh,  I  couldn't,  thank  you,"  she  answered 
"  I  don't  know  any  of  these  flings.  I  only  knov 
an  old-fashioned  minuet." 

"  Try  that,"  urged  Ethelyn,  who  delighted  tc 
have  her  cousin  made  conspicuous,  as  that  at- 
tracted attention  towards  herself. 

The  professor  insisted  upon  it,  so  Patty  oblig- 
ingly consented,  and  saying,  "  I  couldn't  dance 
with  these  things  jingling,"  she  gave  Ethelyn  th.~ 
heavy  necklace  and  bangles. 

Then  she  stepped  out  on  the  floor,  and  as  the 
orchestra  played  the  slow,  stately  music  of  the 
minuet,  Patty  bowed  and  swayed  like  a  veritable 


A  Minuet  55 

old-time  maiden.  Graceful  as  a  reed,  she  took 
the  pretty  steps,  smiling  and  curtseying,  her  fair 
little  face  calm  and  unflushed. 

It  was  such  a  pretty  dance  and  such  a  contrast 
to  the  acrobatic,  out-of-breath  performances  of 
the  other  dancers,  that,  without  a  dissenting 
voice,  the  committee  of  judges  awarded  the  prize 
to  Miss  Patricia  Fairfield. 

Patty  was  delighted,  for  she  had  no  idea  that 
her  dancing  was  specially  meritorious  and  she 
accepted  the  gold  medal  with  a  few  words  of 
real  gratitude,  thinking  the  while  how  pleased 
her  father  would  be,  when  she  should  write  him 
all  about  it.  On  the  way  home  she  said  to 
Ethelyn  : 

"  But  it  doesn't  seem  right  for  me  to  have  this 
prize,  as  I'm  not  a  member  of  the  dancing  class." 

"  Oh  bother,"  said  Ethelyn,  "  that  doesn't 
matter;  they're  always  giving  out  prizes,  and 
I'm  awfully  glad  you  got  this  one.  People  will 
think  you're  something  wonderful.  And  I'm 
sure  they'd  have  given  it  to  Belle  Crandon  if  you 
hadn't  danced,  and  mamma  will  be  tickled  to 
death  to  think  you  got  it  ahead  of  her." 


'CHAPTER  Vu 

PURPLE    AND   FINE    LINEN 

WHEN  Mrs.  St.  Glair's  purchases  were  sent 
home  from  New  York  and  spread  out  om 
view,  Patty  could  scarcely  believe  her  own 
eyes. 

Were  all  those  fine  clothes  really  meant  for 
her? 

The  materials  included  silks,  satins  and  velvets 
in  bright  colorings  and  somewhat  conspicuous 
patterns. 

Some  of  the  dresses  were  already  made  up, 
and  these  were  befrilled  and  beflounced,  with 
lace  and  embroidery.  As  Patty  had  always 
worn  delicate  shades  of  material,  and  her  dresses 
had  been  very  simply  made,  she  couldn't  help 
protesting  at  all  this  bewildering  array  of  finery. 
But  her  aunt  said : 

"  Nonsense,  child,  you  don't  know  what  you're 
talking  about  You  are  the  guest  of  the  St 


Purple  and  Fine  Linen  57 

Clairs,  and  your  appearance  must  do  us  credit. 
I  am  not  giving  you  these  things,  you  know ; 
your  father  wrote  me  to  buy  for  you  whatever 
was  necessary  or  desirable.  I  have  a  lot  of  new 
clothes  for  Ethelyn,  too,  and  I  want  you  to  look 
as  well  as  she  does.  While  you  are  wlHi  us  you 
must  be  suitably  dressed,  else  I  shall  feel  ashamed 
of  your  appearance." 

Poor  Patty  began  to  wonder  whether  it  was  so 
very  nice  after  all,  to  have  fine  clothes  if  she 
could  have  no  voice  in  their  selection. 

But  she  thought,  what  is  the  use  of  objecting  ? 
Aunt  Isabel  will  do  as  she  pleases  anyway,  and 
while  I'm  staying  with  her,  I  ought  to  agree  to 
what  she  wants. 

Then  two  dressmakers  came  to  stay  a  fort- 
night. Ethelyn  and  Patty  were  given  a  holiday 
from  lessons,  the  schoolroom  was  turned  into  a 
sewing-room,  and  Miss  Morton  and  Reginald  be- 
took themselves  to  the  library. 

Patty  was  rather  sorry  to  miss  het  school 
hours,  for  the  history  lessons  had  become  inter- 
esting, but  she  soon  found  that  Aunt  Isabel's 
word  was  law.  It  was  a  law  often  broken  by  her 
own  children,  but  Patty  was  not  of  a  mutinous 


^8  Patty   Fairfield 

heart,  and  she  amiably  obeyed  Mrs.  St.  Glair's 
commands.  But  she  had  her  own  opinion  of  the 
household,  and  she  (*;<i  not  hesitate  to  express  it 
plainly  in  her  letters  to  her  father. 

"  I  begin  to  see,"  she  wrote  to  him  one  da) , 
"  what  you  meant  when  you  explained  to  me 
about  proportion.  In  this  house,  money,  and 
fine  clothes,  and  making  a  great  show,  are  out 
of  all  proportion  to  everything  else.  They 
never  think  of  reading  books,  or  doing  charity 
work,  or  anything  but  showing  off.  And  if  a 
thing  costs  a  lot,  it's  all  right,  but  if  it's  simple 
and  not  expensive,  it's  no  good  at  all.  I  can  tell 
you,  Mr.  Papa,  that  when  we  have  our  home,  we'll 
have  less  fuss  and  feathers,  and  more  comfort  and 
common  sense.  And  it  isn't  only  that  the  things 
cost  so  much,  but  they're  always  talking  about 
it,  and  telling  how  expensive  they  are.  Why, 
Uncle  Robert  has  told  me  half-a-dozen  times 
how  much  his  horses  and  carriages  cost,  and  now 
he  says  he's  going  to  get  an  automobile,  so  I 
don't  know  what  he'll  do  with  his  horses.  Ethe- 
\yn  is  very  nice  in  some  ways,  but  she  is  affected 
and  rude,  and  I  don't  like  her  as  well  as  Clara 
Haydcn,  if  she  is  my  cousin.  Reginald  is  a 


Purple  and  Fine  Linen  59 

nice  boy,  but  he's  sort  of  pompous  and  con- 
ceited, and  th  *nks  he's  better  than  any  one  else  in 
the  world.  Little  Florelle  is  a  dear,  but  she 
cries  so  easily  that  I  can't  have  much  fun  with 
her.  But  there,  now  I've  told  you  all  the  bads, 
I'll  tell  you  some  of  the  goods.  Miss  Morton, 
the  governess,  is  a  lovely  lady,  and  when  Ethe- 
lyn  is  so  cross  I  can't  stand  her,  I  go  to  Miss 
Morton,  and  we  have  a  walk  or  a  drive  together, 
and  have  nice,  pleasant  talks.  And  then  I  am 
taking  singing  lessons  twice  a  week.  Aunt 
Isabel  says  I  have  a  pretty  good  voice,  and  I 
love  to  sing,  and  Reginald  takes  me  skating,  and 
that  is  splendid.  I  don't  know  how  yet,  but  he 
says  I  am  learning  pretty  well.  Aunt  Isabel 
gave  an  afternoon  tea  for  me,  and  next  week  we 
are  going  to  have  a  big  party,  and  I  think  that 
will  be  nice.  I  like  parties  and  dancing-school, 
only  the  girls  and  boys  all  act  so  grown  up. 
They  are  about  my  age  and  even  younger,  and 
they  act  as  if  they  were  ladies  and  gentlemen. 
That  isn't  good  proportion,  is  it?  But  I  am 
pretty  happy,  except  that  I  am  often  homesick 
for  you.  Then  I  look  at  your  picture,  and  at  the 
beautiful  picture  o.  dear  mamma  and  it  helps 


60  Patty   Fairfield 

some.     And  your  letters  help  me  too,  so  write 
iust  as  often  as  you  can,  won't  you  ? 

"  From  your  loving  daughter, 

"  PATRICIA  FAIRFIELD." 

r 

f he  party,  as  Patty  had  feared,  was  a  very 
grown-up  affair.  For  several  days  beforehand 
the  servants  were  getting  the  house  ready  for  it, 
and  all  was  bustle  and  confusion. 

The  furniture  and  bric-a-brac  were  all  removed 
from  the  hall  and  drawing-room  and  library,  and 
carried  up  to  the  third  floor  to  be  out  of  the 
way.  The  portieres  were  taken  down  from  the 
doorways,  and  on  the  day  of  the  party  they  were 
replaced  by  simulated  curtains  of  smilax  and 
flowering  vines. 

As  it  was  near  the  Christmas  season,  the 
decorations  included  evergreens,  holly  and 
mistletoe,  but  besides  these,  quantities  of  roses 
and  rare  flowers  of  all  sorts  were  used.  The 
florists  came  early  and  worked  all  day,  and  they 
transformed  the  house  into  a  fairy  bower. 

Patty  was  delighted  with  this,  and  walked 
through  the  luxurious  rooms,  quite  lost  in  ad- 
miration of  their  floral  beauty. 


Purple  and  Fine  Linen  61 

Carpenters  had  enclosed  the  great  veranda 
which  was  then  hung  with  red  satin  and  deco- 
rated with  ropes  and  wreaths  of  holly,  and,  like 
the  rest  of  the  house,  was  fairly  ablaze  with 
electric  lights. 

The  party  was  to  be  from  eight  to  twelve,  and 
when  Patty  went  down-stairs  at  a  little  before 
eight,  she  found  her  uncle  berating  the  musi- 
cians, who  were  a  little  late  in  arriving. 

"  I  want  you  to  understand,"  Mr.  St.  Clair  was 
saying,  "  that  when  /  send  for  yc  u,  you  are  to 
come  when  I  bid  you.  Don't  tell  me  you 
couldn't  help  it, — if  there  is  danger  of  detention 
on  the  road,  you  should  start  earlier.  7  am  ac- 
customed to  having  my  orders  obeyed,  and  all 
who  are  employed  at  Villa  Rosa  must  fully  un- 
derstand that.  Go  on  with  your  music,  and  next 
time,  see  to  it  that  you  arrive  more  promptly." 

Uncle  Robert  strutted  away  with  such  a  pom- 
pous air,  that  Patty  was  almost  afraid  of  him 
herself.  But  when  he  saw  her,  he  beamed 
kindly,  and  said  : 

"  Come  here,  my  dear,  and  tell  me  what  you 
think  of  all  this." 

u  1  think  the  house  looks  beautiful,  uncle,  just 


62  Patty   Fairficld 

*ike  Fairyland,  with  all  the  flowers  and  lights. 
And  I  think  you  are  very  kind  to  give  this  party 
•  or  me." 

"  Well,  well,  child,  we  have  to  invite  our 
friends  occasionally,  you  know.  Have  a  good 
time,  and  I  shall  feel  amply  repaid  for  my  out- 
lay. Those  American  Beauties  are  fine,  aren't 
they  ?  " 

"  Indeed  they  are,"  said  Patty,  sniffing  at  one 
that  reached  '.ts  rich  redness  temptingly  towards 
fcer. 

"Oh,  don't  do  that!  You'll  spoil  them. 
Those  roses  cost  six  dollars  a  dozen.  But  how 
fine  you  look  in  your  new  gew-gaws.  Turn 
round,  little  one.  Ah,  we  have  no  reason  to  feel 
ashamed  of  our  Southern  maid  to-night." 

Patty  was  glad  her  uncle  was  pleased,  for  she 
herself  felt  rather  uncomfortable.  Her  dress, 
which  was  made  with  low  neck  and  short  sleeves, 
was  of  red  silk  gauze,  with  multifold  short  skirts, 
accordion-plaited,  and  edged  with  thick,  full 
ruches.  Great  golden  butterflies  were  embroid- 
ered at  intervals  all  over  the  dress,  while  rib- 
bons and  flowers  were  attacked  wherever  a  place 
could  be  found  for  them. 


Purple  and  Fine  Linen  63 

Ethelyn  had  coaxed  Patty  to  have  her  hair 
dressed  high  on  her  head,  so  Elise  had  arranged 
a  marvelous  coiffure  which  displayed  jeweled 
pins  and  combs  of  many  sorts,  and  a  necklace 
and  bracelets  rivaled  them  in  glitter.  Red  silk 
stockings,  and  red  satin  slippers  with  gilt  butter- 
flies on  them  completed  this  gorgeous  costume, 
and  when  Patty  saw  herself  in  the  long  mirrors, 
she  thought  she  looked  like  one  of  the  paper 
fairies  which  she  used  to  hang  on  her  Christmas 
trees. 

When  the  party  began,  she  stood  beside  her 
aunt  and  Ethelyn  and  received  the  guests  as 
they  arrived. 

About  fifty  boys  and  girls  came,  and  to  Patty 
they  all  seemed  like  overdressed  and  artificial 
little  puppets. 

The  girls  put  on  grown-up  airs,  walked  with 
mincing  steps  and  giggled  behind  their  fans, 
while  the  boys  were  affected  and  absurdly  formal 

Patty  had  thought  there  would  be  games  or 
amusements  of  some  youthful  sort,  but  dancing 
and  promenading  alternated  throughout  the 
evening. 

However,  she  was  fond  of  dancing,  and  as  she 


64  Patty   Fairfield 

was  quickly  becoming  a  general  favorite,  her 
card  was  soon  filled  with  the  names  of  the  nicest 
boys  in  the  room. 

It  was  all  very  pleasant  for  a  short  time,  but 
soon  Patty  grew  very  tired  and  secretly  longed 
for  supper  to  be  announced. 

At  last  this  came  to  pass,  and  the  children 
marched  out  to  the  dining-room  where  another 
beautiful  sight  awaited  them. 

The  caterers  had  been  as  skilful  as  the  deco- 
rators, and  the  table  was  filled  with  marvelous 
confections  of  rich  foods. 

Patty  had  never  seen  such  wonderful  things, 
and  she  almost  thought  the  pheasants  were 
alive;  and  the  big  salmon  looked  as  if  it  had 
just  been  taken  from  the  water.  Then  there 
were  salads  and  croquettes,  and  funny  little  paper 
dishes  filled  with  strange,  delicious  mixtures,  and 
after  all  these,  came  creams  and  jellies  and  ices, 
and  cakes  and  bonbons  in  all  sorts  of  odd  shapes 
and  colors. 

Patty  thought  these  things  were  too  pretty  to 
be  eaten,  but  they  were  quickly  demolished  by 
the  young  people,  who  were  hearty,  hungry  boys 
and  girls,  in  spite  of  their  affected  manners. 


Purple  and  Fine  Linen  65 

After  supper  the  dancing  and  promenading 
began  again,  and  was  kept  up  until  midnight, 
and  Patty  was  a  very  tired  little  girl  after  she  had 
said  good-night  to  all  the  guests  and  the  last  car- 
riage had  rolled  away  from  Villa  Rosa. 

Ethelyn  was  tired  too,  and  decidedly  cross. 

"  I  didn't  have  a  very  good  time,"  she  said ; 
"  that  horrid  old  Gladys  Mahoney  had  a  prettier 
dress  than  mine ;  and  I  broke  my  new  fan,  and 
my  slippers  are  so  tight,  they  hurt  me  awfully." 

"  Pooh,  I  know  what  makes  you  cross,"  said 
Reginald,  "just 'cause  Bob  Burton  didn't  dance 
with  you  as  much  as  he  did  with  Mabel  Miller." 

"  I'm  not  cross,"  retorted  Ethelyn,  "  and  I 
didn't  want  to  dance  with  Bob  Burton.  If  I 
were  you,  I'd  try  to  learn  some  manners ;  Lou 
Smith  says  you're  the  rudest  boy  she  ever 
saw." 

"  I  don't  care  what  Lou  Smith  says, — little, 
freckle-faced  thing !  I  don't  see  why  she  was 
Invited  here,  anyway." 

"Stop  quarreling,  children,"  said  Mrs.  St. 
Clair,  "  and  go  to  bed  at  once.  Patricia,  I  hope 
you  enjoyed  the  party ;  I'm  sure  I  tried  to  have 
it  r»w*e.  but  everything  seemed  to  go  wrong. 


66  Patty   FairficM 

The  salad  wasn't  fit  to  eat  and  the  ice  cream  was 
half  melted." 

"  Why,  Aunt  Isabel,"  said  Patty,  "  I  think 
everything  was  lovely.  I  never  saw  such  a  sup- 
per-table in  my  life,  and  the  decorations  were  ex- 
quisite." 

"  Well,  I  didn't  think  so.  It  does  seem  a 
shame  to  pay  out  so  much  money,  and  then  not 
have  things  to  your  liking." 

"  Oh,  the  party  was  good  enough,"  said  Mr. 
St.  Clair,  "  you're  too  fussy  about  trifles,  Isabel. 
Come,  children,  scurry  off  to  bed,  you'll  get  no 
beauty  sleep  to-night,  I  fear." 

Patty  went  to  her  room,  and  taking  her  moth- 
er's picture,  sat  down  to  talk  to  it,  as  she  did 
nearly  every  night. 

"  Motherdy,"  she  said,  "  if  you  had  lived  to 
take  care  of  me,  I  don't  believe  you'd  have  liked 
the  party  we  had  to-night.  The  grown-upness 
of  it  was  all  out  of  proportion  for  children,  I 
think,  and, — as  usual  in  this  house,  the  expense 
was  out  of  proportion  to  everything  else.  Why, 
Uncle  Robert  must  have  spent  a  thousand  dollars 
for  it, — maybe  more, — he'll  probably  tell  us  to» 
morrow  just  how  much  everything  cost.  I  like<J 


Purple  and  Fine  Linen  67 

some  of  the  party, — the  supper  was  lovely,  but, 
— well,  I  reckon  I  ate  out  of  proportion  too. 
You  see,  little  mother,  it's  very  hard  always  to 
do  just  right.  Now  I'm  going  to  bed,  and  I'm 
so  sleepy,  I  don't  know  as  I'll  wake  up  before  to- 
morrow afternoon." 

She  kissed  the  beautiful  face,  and  putting  the 
picture  back  where  it  belonged,  she  hopped  into 
bed  and  was  soon  fast  asleep. 


CHAPTER  VII 

A    SLEIGH-RIDE 

THE  winter  slipped  away,  and  as  Patty  was  3 
little  girl  who  always  looked  on  the  bright  side 
of  things,  she  really  had  very  good  times  at  Villa 
Rosa. 

She  became  a  favorite  with  the  Elmbridge 
boys  and  girls,  and  her  unfailing  good  natun 
kept  her  from  quarreling  with  her  cousins, 
though  she  was  often  sorely  tried  by  them. 

Lessons  were  a  very  uncertain  quantity. 
Sometimes  there  would  be  none  at  all  for  a  week 
or  two  weeks,  and  then  perhaps  school  would 
keep  regularly  for  a  few  days,  only  to  be  followed 
by  another  interruption. 

Patty  found  it  only  too  easy  to  fall  into  these 
careless  ways,  and  if  she  had  stayed  all  her  life  at 
Villa  Rosa,  I  fear  she  would  have  become  indo- 
lent and  selfish,  for  the  rule  of  the  whole  house- 


A  Sleigh-Ride  69 

hold  seemed  to  be  "  Pleasure  before  Duty,"  and 
when  that  rule  is  followed  it  often  happens  that 
the  duties  are  not  done  at  all. 

In  January,  to  Patty's  great  delight,  there  came 
a  heavy  snowstorm. 

It  made  fine  sleighing,  for  the  roads  were  in 
just  the  right  condition  and  as  the  weatVer  was 
clear  and  cold  there  was  good  prospect  of  many 
days'  fun. 

Uncle  Robert,  always  ready  to  give  the  young 
people  a  good  time,  instigated  a  sleighing 
parade,  in  which  all  the  society  people  of  Elm- 
bridge  were  invited  to  join. 

It  was  to  be  a  grand  affair.  Every  sleigh  was 
to  be  decorated  in  beautiful  or  unique  fashion, 
and  there  was  great  rivalry  among  the  families 
of  Elmbridge  as  to  whose  sleigh  should  present 
the  finest  spectacle. 

"  Papa,"  said  Ethelyn,  "  I  shall  drive  Patricia 
in  my  little  cutter,  of  course,  and  I  want  you  to 
fix  it  up,  somehow,  so  that  it  will  beat  everybody 
else  all  hollow." 

•'  Ethelyn,"  said  her  mother,  "  if  you  don't 
stop  using  those  slang  phrases,  you  shan't  go 
in  the  parade  at  all.  Now  promise  to  talk  like 


70  Patty    Fairfield 

a  lady,  a_id  I'll  see  to  it  that  your  sleigh  out- 
shines all  the  rest." 

"  All  right,"  said  Ethelyn,  "  I'll  promise. 
Now,  how  shall  we  decorate  it?" 

"  Never  mind,"  said  her  mother,  "  I  wouldn't 
trust  you  with  the  secret.  You'd  tell  everybody 
before  the  parade,  and  give  them  a  chance  to 
imitate  it.  But  just  wait  and  see.  You  and 
Patricia  shall  drive  the  most  beautiful  turnout  in 
the  whole  line." 

That  day  Mrs.  St.  Clair  made  a  hurried  trip 
to  New  York  and  came  home  with  many  mys- 
terious packages,  and  other  larger  packages 
came  by  express.  Mr.  St.  Clair  came  home 
early  from  his  business  and  spent  much  of  his 
time  in  the  barn,  and  the  preparations  grew  so 
exciting  that  both  Patty  and  Evelyn  were  on  tip- 
toe with  curiosity  and  anticipation.  The  parade 
was  to  start  the  next  afternoon  at  two  o'clock. 
Soon  after  luncheon,  Mrs.  St.  Clair  sent  the  girls 
to  their  rooms  to  dress  for  the  great  event. 

Ethelyn  gave  a  little  scream  of  delight,  as  she 
saw  new  garments  spread  out  on  her  bed,  and 
Patty  ran  on  to  her  own  room  to  find  similar 
ones  there. 


A  Sleigh-Ride  71 

Each  girl  had  a  long  coat  of  fine  white  broad- 
cloth, made  with  a  double  cape-collar,  and 
trimmed  all  round  with  white  fur.  A  broad- 
brimmed  white  felt  hat,  with  white  ostrich 
plumes  and  a  fleecy  white  feather  boa,  white 
gloves,  and  a  white  muff  were  there  too;  and 
even  white  shoes  and  white  cloth  leggings,  so 
that  when  the  cousins  were  dressed,  there  was 
not  a  touch  of  color  about  them,  save  their  rosy 
faces  and  golden  hair,  and  they  looked  like  veri- 
table snow-queens. 

They  danced  down-stairs  to  find  Cupid  await- 
ing them  with  a  brand-new  sleigh. 

Cupid  was  Ethelyn's  pony,  and  he  was  pure 
white,  every  bit  of  him,  and  it  was  this  fact  that 
had  suggested  the  whole  scheme  to  Mr.  St.  Clair. 

The  new  sleigh  was  pure  white  too,  trimmed 
here  and  there  with  silver. 

Cupid's  harness  was  all  white  and  silver,  and 
waving  white  plumes  and  silver  bells  were  in 
various  places  about  the  sleigh  and  horse. 

There  were  big  white  fur  robes,  and  when  Mr. 
St.  Clair  tucked  the  girls  in,  and  Ethelyn  took 
the  white  reins  and  white  whip,  it  certainly 
seemed  as  if  no  sleigh  load  could  be  prettier. 


yi  Pa^y   Fairfield 

And  none  was.  Everybody  agreed  that  the 
\vhite  sleigh  was  the  pride  of  the  parade.  Patty 
secretly  wondered  why  her  aunt  was  satisfied 
without  more  gaudy  coloring;  as  she  wrote  to 
her  father  afterwards,  she  had  half  expected  to 
see  a  red  sleigh  with  blue  and  yellow  robes. 
"  But,"  she  said,  "  I  suppose  it  was  because 
Cupid  happened  to  be  white,  and  I'm  glad  he 
was,  for  it  was  all  just  lovely." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  St.  Clair  and  Florelle  went  in  the 
parade  also,  but  they  contented  themselves  with 
the  family  sleigh,  which  of  course  was  both 
handsome  and  elaborate.  They  had  spent  all 
their  energies  on  the  girls'  appearance  and  they 
were  very  proud  of  the  result. 

Reginald,  who  was  of  an  ingenious  turn  of 
mind,  had  contrived  an  affair  which  was  sup-» 
posed  to  look  like  a  Reman  chariot,  and 
which  was,  therefore,  a  bit  incongruous  on 
runners. 

It  was  very  farcy,  being  almost  entirely  cov- 
ered with  gilt  paper,  and  it  had  two  wheels  anc 
no  back.  It  jolted  fearfully,  and  Reginald  was 
occasionally  thrown  out.  However,  he  stuck  to 
it  pluckily,  until  his  machine  was  a  total  wreck* 


A  Sleigh-Ride  7] 

when  he  abandoned  it,  and  jumped  into  hfi 
father's  sleigh  for  the  rest  of  the  parade. 

Patty  enjoyed  it  all  hugely.  It  was  such  a 
novel  experience  to  fly  along,  through  the  crisp 
cold  air,  and  over  the  shining  snow  roads ;  and 
Ethelyn  was  in  such  jubilant  good-humor,  that 
the  whole  affair  marked  a  red-letter  day  in  the 
winter  calendar. 

The  "  White  Flyer  "  was  the  talk  of  the  town 
for  weeks  after,  and  Mr.  St.  Clair  never  tired  of 
telling  any  one  who  would  listen,  how  much  it 
all  cost,  and  how  difficult  it  was  to  get  the  white 
sleigh  and  harness  on  such  short  notice. 

Patty  grew  very  tired  of  this  pompous  boast- 
ing, and,  notwithstanding  her  enjoyment  of  the 
luxury  at  Villa  Rosa,  she  was  not  altogether 
sorry  when  the  time  drew  near  for  her  to  go 
away  to  Boston  to  make  her  next  visit 

She  was  to  leave  the  St.  Clairs  about  the  first 
of  March,  and  spend  the  next  three  months  with 
her  father's  sister,  Mrs.  Fleming. 

As  Uncle  Robert  was  her  mother's  brother, 
the  two  families  were  entirely  unacquainted,  and 
the  St.  Clairs  could  tell  Patty  nothing  about  the 
new  home  to  which  she  was  going. 


74  Patty   Fairficld 

-'«  But,"  said  her  Aunt  Isabel,  "  I  feel  sure  you 
won't  like  them  as  weii  as  you  like  us.  Are  they 
rich,  Patricia  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  Patty ;  "  papa  never 
said  anything  about  that.  He  oaid  that  they  are 
a  very  literary  family." 

"  Humph,"  said  Aunt  Isabel,  "  then  I  guess 
they  haven't  very  much  money  ;  literary  people 
never  do  have.  Poor  child,  I  suppose  they'll 
turn  you  into  a  regular  little  blue-stocking." 

Patty  didn't  relish  this  idea,  for  at  Villa  Rosa 
she  had  fallen  into  the  habit  of  neglecting  her 
lessons,  and  already  study  was  losing  its  charm 
for  her.  But  she  was  fond  of  reading,  and  she 
felt  sure  she  would  enjoy  an  atmosphere  of  books. 

On  the  I4th  of  February,  Aunt  Isabel  gave  a 
party  for  the  young  people,  which  was  a  farewell 
party  for  Patty,  though  it  was  also  a  festival  in 
honor  of  St.  Valentine's  Day. 

As  usual,  the  girls  had  new  dresses,  and  they 
represented  Mrs.  St.  Glair's  idea  of  valentines. 

Ethelyn's  was  of  blue,  and  Patty's  of  pink  silk, 
and  they  were  trimmed  with  innumerable  lace 
fiutings  and  garlands  of  flowers.  They  were 
farther  decorated  with  gilt  hearts  pierced  by 


A  Sleigh-Ride  75 

darts,  and  with  skilfully  made  artificial  dc  ves 
which  perched  on  the  shoulders  of  the  wearers. 

The  party  was  a  very  pretty  one,  as  Aunt 
Isabel's  parties  always  were. 

The  rooms  were  decorated  with  roses  and  pink 
ribbons,  and  gilt  hearts  and  darts,  and  feathered 
doves  and  wax  cupids.  At  supper  the  ices  anc 
cakes  were  heart-shaped,  and  after  the  children 
had  returned  to  the  drawing-room  St.  Valentine 
himself  appeared. 

As  Patty  suspected,  it  was  Uncle  Robert 
dressed  up  to  represent  the  old  Saint,  with  flowing 
white  hair  and  beard  and  a  gilt  paper  halo.  He 
wore  a  long  white  robe  with  red  hearts  dotted  all 
over  it,  and  carried  a  gilt  bow  and  arrow. 

He  carried  also  a  pack  or  pouch  full  of  valen- 
tines which  he  distributed  to  the  guests. 

Of  course  they  were  very  handsome  affairs,  and 
in  each  was  hidden  some  dainty  trifle,  handker- 
chief, fan  or  bonbons. 

Besides  those  at  the  party,  Patty  received 
numerous  other  valentines,  some  of  which  came 
by  mail,  and  others  in  the  good  old-fashioned 
way,  under  the  front  door. 

Many  of  these  were  from  the  Elmbridge  young 


76  Patty    Fairfield 

people,  while  several  from  Richmond  included  a 
beauty  from  her  father,  and  a  pretty  one  from 
Clara  Hayden. 

Although  the  cousins  had  varying  tastes,  they 
had  become  very  good  friends,  and  both  felt  sad 
when  the  day  came  for  Patty  to  leave  Villa  Rosa. 

Indeed,  the  whole  family  felt  sad,  for  Patty 
was  a  very  lovable  little  girl,  and  had  endeared 
herself  to  them  all.  Uncle  Robert  was  to  take 
her  to  New  York  and  put  her  on  the  boat,  where 
Mr.  Tom  Fleming  would  meet  her  and  take  her 
to  his  mother's  house  in  Boston. 

Aunt  Isabel  said  she,  too,  would  go  to  New 
York  with  Patty,  and  of  course  Ethelyn  an- 
nounced her  intention  of  going. 

Then  Florelle  set  up  such  a  howl  to  go,  that 
Patty  begged  her  aunt  to  take  her,  and  the  child 
went. 

Reginald  declined  to  be  left  out  of  such  a  fam- 
ily affair,  so  Patty  was  amply  escorted  to  her 
destination. 

They  went  on  board  the  Priscilla,  a  beautiful 
boat  of  the  Fall  River  Line,  and  Mr.  St.  Clair 
soon  found  Mr.  Fleming,  who  had  agreed  to 
meet  him  at  a  certain  spot. 


A  Sleigh-Ride  77 

T/xen  Patty  was  introduced  to  her  Cousin  Tom, 
who  was  a  tall  young  man  of  about  thirty-five, 
with  a  pointed  beard,  and  dark,  pleasant  eyes. 

"  So  this  is  my  little  Southern  cousin."  he 
said,  cordially,  as  he  took  her  hand. 

Then  he  chatted  affably  with  the  whole  party 
until  the  warning  gong  announced  that  they 
must  go  ashore. 

Ethelyn  was  heart-broken  at  the  thought  of 
parting,  and  flinging  her  arms  round  Patty's 
neck,  burst  into  tears. 

This  was  enough  for  Florelle,  who  promptly 
followed  suit,  and  set  up  one  of  her  very  best 
howls. 

With  a  good-bye  kiss  to  his  niece,  Uncle 
Robert  picked  up  the  screaming  child  and  mar- 
shaled his  family  off  of  the  boat,  and  Patty  was 
kft  alone  with  her  new-found  cousin. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

AN   ABSENT-MINDED   COUSIN 

"  Now,  Patty,"  said  Cousin  Tom,  as  they 
walked  along  the  saloon, "  I  am  going  to  hand 
you  over  to  the  stewardess,  who  will  show  you 
your  stateroom.  Go  with  her,  and  she  will  look 
after  you.  I  think  you  would  better  leave  off 
that  heavy  coat,  as  it  is  too  chilly  outside  to  per- 
mit of  going  on  deck,  and  the  atmosphere  within 
is  quite  warm.  Ah,  here  she  is.  Stewardess, 
this  is  Miss  Fairfield  and  here  is  her  stateroom 
key.  See  to  it  that  she  is  made  comfortable." 

As  Mr.  Fleming  supplemented  his  request 
with  a  pecuniary  argument,  the  stewardess  made 
Patty  her  especial  charge,  and  assiduously  looked 
after  her  comfort. 

"  And,  Patty,"  said  her  cousin,  as  she  turned 
away,  "  when  you  are  ready,  come  back  and  you 
'\vill  find  me  right  here.  See,  just  by  this  stair- 
case. Lock  your  door  and  bring  the  key  with 
you." 

78 


An  Absent-Minded  Cousin          79 

Patty  felt  as  if  she  had  suddenly  grown  several 
years  younger,  for  Cousin  Tom  talked  to  her  as 
to  a  little  child.  "  It's  more  like  Wonderland 
than  ever,"  she  said  to  herself.  "  Only  instead 
of  growing  big  or  little,  I  grow  old  or  young. 
At  Aunt  Isabel's  I  was  considered  a  young  lady, 
but  Cousin  Tom  seems  to  think  I'm  a  small  child." 

The  stewardess,  who  was  a  good-natured  old 
colored  woman,  took  Patty  to  her  stateroom,  and 
then  helped  her  to  unpack  her  traveling-bag,  and 
arrange  her  belongings  for  the  night. 

As  Aunt  Isabel  had  bought  her  clothes,  of 
course  Patty  was  absurdly  overdressed. 

When  she  took  off  her  blue  velvet  coat  with 
its  ermine  collar,  her  blue  silk,  lace-trimmed 
dress  looked  far  more  suitable  for  a  grand  recep- 
tion than  for  traveling. 

"  Laws,  missy,"  said  the  voluble  stewardess, 
"  how  handsome  you  is !  " 

Patty  thought  this  a  reference  to  her  dress, 
but  the  remark  was  meant  for  the  child  herself, 
whose  flower-like  face  looked  out  from  a  most 
becoming  big  hat  of  plaited  blue  velvet,  and  her 
golden  hair  fell  in  a  loosely  tied  bunch  of  long 
thick  curls. 


8o  Patty   Fairfield 

When  Patty  returned  to  her  Cousin  Tom,  she 
found  him  sitting  just  where  he  said  he  would  be, 
but  so  deeply  absorbed  in  a  book  that  he  did  not 
see  or  hear  her  approach. 

Not  wishing  to  disturb  his  reading,  she  sat 
down  in  the  large  chair  next  to  him  and  waited. 

She  didn't  mind  this  at  all,  for  it  was  very  in- 
teresting to  watch  the  people  passing  up  and 
down,  and  the  saloon  itself  was  beautiful  to  look 
at.  Patty  sat  for  a  long  while,  but  Cousin  Tom 
never  moved,  except  to  turn  the  pages  of  his 
book.  She  did  not  like  to  speak  to  him,  as  she 
feared  he  would  think  it  necessary  to  lay  aside 
his  book  and  entertain  her;  she  had  no  wish  to 
trouble  him,  and  beside,  she  was  quite  capable 
of  entertaining  herself. 

So  after  she  had  sat  still  for  a  long  while,  she 
decided  to  walk  about  the  cabin  a  bit,  always 
keeping  in  sight  of  Cousin  Tom,  if  he  should 
raise  his  eyes.  But  he  didn't,  and  Patty  strayed 
farther  and  farther  away  from  him,  until  she  haa 
explored  all  the  available  parts  of  the  boat. 

She  was  much  interested  in  all  she  saw,  and 
many  admiring  eyes  followed  the  pretty,  grace- 
ful child  as  she  walked  about. 


An  Absent-Minded  Cousin          8l 

When  she  reached  the  dining-room  she  looked 
in,  and  the  sight  of  the  passengers  sitting  at  well- 
filled  tables  made  her  feel  very  hungry,  and  she 
wondered  if  Cousin  Tom  would  finish  his  book 
in  time  to  give  her  any  dinner.  Somehow  she 
felt  sure  he  never  would  look  up  until  he  had 
finished  the  book. 

She  went  back  and  sat  down  again  beside  hin? 
with  a  little  sigh.  But  he  didn't  hear  the  little 
sigh,  and  kept  on  reading. 

Patty  looked  at  him  curiously.  There  was 
little  hope  of  his  finishing  the  book,  for  he  was 
only  about  half-way  through  it,  and  he  read  very 
slowly,  turning  the  pages  at  long  intervals.  She 
could  see  his  eyes  move  eagerly  along  the 
printed  lines,  as  if  delighted  with  what  he  found 
there. 

She  waited  a  while  longer,  and  then  said  to 
herself,  "  I  don't  care,  I'm  going  to  speak  to 
him.  I've  waited  a  million  hours,  and  the  din- 
ner will  be  all  eaten  up." 

She  didn't  speak,  but  she  rose  and  stood  by 
his  side,  and  then  with  a  sudden  impulse  she 
laid  her  hand  with  outspread  fingers  upon  the 
page  he  was  reading. 


82  Patty   Fairfield 

Cousin  Tom  jumped  as  if  a  firecracker  had 
exploded  in  his  vicinity,  and  he  looked  at  Patty 
with  a  dazed  expression. 

"  Bless  my  soul !  "  he  said,  "  why,  little  one,  I 
forgot  all  about  you.  Will  you  forgive  me? 
Have  you  been  here  long  ?  I  was  reading,  you 
see,  and  I  didn't  hear  you  come." 

"  I've  been  here  an  hour,  Cousin  Tom,"  said 
Patty,  demurely. 

"  An  hour?  No!  Is  it  possible?  You  poor 
child,  why  didn't  you  tell  me  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  didn't  mind,"  said  Patty,  "  and  you 
seemed  to  be  all  wrapped  up  in  your  book." 

"  Yes,  I  was, — I  was.  But  I'll  try  to  make 
amends.  Come,  let's  go  and  have  some  dinner." 

Taking  Patty's  hand,  Cousin  Tom  strode  along 
the  saloon,  and  down  the  stairs,  and  Patty 
almost  had  to  run  to  keep  up  with  his  long 
steps. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  as  they  seated  themselves  at 
a  table  and  an  obsequious  waiter  began  to  put 
ice  and  then  water  into  their  glasses.  "  Now, 
what  would  you  like  to  eat  ?  " 

"  Oh,  anything  at  all,"  said  Patty,  gaily,  "  I'm 
hungry  enough  to  eat,— I  don't  know  what" 


An  Absent-Mi nded  Cousin          83 

"  Yes,  yes,  of  course  you  are, — poor  child, — so 
sorry  I  forgot  you, — quite  inexcusable  of  me." 

Mr.  Fleming  was  looking  over  the  bill  of  fare 
as  he  talked,  and  then  he  looked  doubtfully  at 
Patty,  as  if  uncertain  what  he  ought  to  order  for 
her. 

"  What  would  you  like  for  your  dinner,  child  ? 
Now  don't  say  you  don't  care,  or  that  you'll 
leave  it  to  me,  for  little  girls  always  say  that,  and 
I  declare  I  don't  know  what  you  ought  to  have." 

"  All  right,"  said  Patty,  who  was  quite  equal 
to  the  occasion.  "  Let's  have  some  lobster  may- 
onnaise, and  some  mushrooms  under  glass,  and 
little  tiny  clams,  and  tutti-frutti  and  a  Dewey 
Punch." 

Cousin  Tom  stared  at  her  in  amazement. 

"  What  are  you  talking  about  ? "  he  ex- 
claimed ;  "  you'd  be  dead  if  you  ate  all  those 
things.  Are  they  on  the  bill  of  fare  ?  What  is 
a  «  Dewey  Punch  '  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  die  so  easily  as  that.  Ethelyn 
and  I  used  to  eat  worse  mixes  than  that,  when- 
ever we  lunched  at  the  New  York  restaurants. 
A  Dewey  Punch  is  a  lovely  kind  of  ice  cream 
with  strawberry  jam  or  something  poured  all 


84  Patty  Fairfield 

over  it.  I  don't  see  it  on  the  list;  perhaps  they 
don't  have  it  Never  mind,  we'll  take  meringue 
glace/' 

"Indeed  we  won't  I've  changed  my  mind 
and  I'll  order  this  dinner  myself.  You  shall 
have  some  soup,  a  broiled  chicken,  some  vege- 
tables and  a  plain  ice  cream.  There,  how  do 
you  like  that?" 

Cousin  Tom  didn't  speak  crossly  at  all,  but 
very  decidedly,  and  there  was  a  pleasant  twinkle 
in  his  eye  that  took  away  all  idea  of  censure,  so 
Patty  said,  amiably: 

"  I  think  it  will  be  very  nice  and  I  really  don't 
care  what  we  have,  only  you  told  me  to  suggest 
something,  so  I  did." 

"  Certainly,  that's  all  right,  but  your  sugges- 
tions were  suicidal.  Are  you  familiar  with 
Bacon?" 

Oh,  thought  Patty,  he's  going  to  order  the 
breakfast  over  night,  and  I  hate  bacon. 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  "  but  I  don't  like  it  at  all." 

"You  don't?  What  a  perverted  taste.  But 
Boston  will  soon  change  that.  We  have  a  Bacon 
club,  which  you  shall  join.  It  is  a  most  delight- 
ful club,  and  you  will  like  it,  I'm  sure,  I  fancy 


An  Absent-Minded  Cousin  8f 

that  in  a  few  weeks  I  shall  see  you  devouring 
Bacon  with  intense  enjoyment." 

Indeed  I  won't,  thought  Patty.  She  was 
about  to  say  that  her  Uncle  Robert  belonged  to 
a  Terrapin  Club,  but  refrained,  thinking  it  might 
be  impolite  to  imply  disparagement  to  the  more 
lowly  bacon. 

So  she  changed  the  subject,  and  said : 

"  Please,  Cousin  Tom,  tell  me  something  of 
your  family.  It's  so  queer  to  go  to  see  people 
and  not  know  anything  about  them  beforehand. 
But  so  far,  my  relatives  have  been  very  nice." 

"  Oh,  the  Flemings  are  a  wonderful  family," 
said  Cousin  Tom,  gaily,  "  we  are  all  going  to  do 
something  great,  but  somehow  we  haven't  hit  it 
off  yet" 

"  Cousin  Elizabeth  is  an  author,  isn't  she  ?  " 
inquired  Patty,  a  little  timidly,  for  she  had  never 
seen  a  real,  live  author. 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Fleming,  "Elizabeth  is  an 
author,  that  is,  she  writes  novels  when  she  isn't 
doing  anything  else ;  Barbara  is  a  club  woman, 
but  she  writes  too,  more  or  less." 

"  And  what  do  you  do  ?  Are  you  liter- 
ary?" 


86  Patty   Fairficld 

"  Yes,  I'm  writing  a  book,  myself.  It's  a 
treatise  on  The  Will,  and  I  flatter  myself  I  have 
some  novel  theories ;  and  then  there's  Ruth,  you 
know." 

"  Ruth,  who  is  she  ?  " 

"  Oh,  she's  our  cousin,  who  lives  with  us.  Not 
your  cousin,  you  know.  She  is  father's  brother's 
child,  and  her  people  live  in  the  country ;  so,  as 
she  has  a  fine  mind,  she  lives  with  us  in  order  to 
have  the  advantage  of  a  Boston  education." 

"  How  old  is  she  ?  "  asked  Patty. 

"  Fourteen  or  fifteen,  I  think.  She'll  be  com- 
pany for  you ;  I  think  you'll  like  her,  though 
she  is  very  different  from  you." 

"  What  is  she  like  ?  "  asked  Patty,  much  in- 
terested in  this  new  and  unexpected  comrade. 

"  Why,  she  is  quiet,  and  very  studious,  and — 
but  you'll  see  her  yourself,  to-morrow,  so  I'll  let 
you  form  your  own  opinion." 

After  dinner  they  had  a  short  promenade  on 
deck,  but  the  wind  was  so  strong,  that  Patty  was 
glad  to  return  to  the  warm,  light  saloon,  and 
they  sat  down  on  one  of  the  red  velvet  sofas. 
Cousin  Tom  didn't  resume  his  book,  and  Patty 
felt  that  he  was  politely  trying  to  entertain  hei. 


An  Absent-Minded  Cousin          87 

So  with  a  desire  to  entertain  him  in  return, 
she  asked  him  to  tell  her  about  the  book  he  was 
writing. 

This  seemed  to  please  him  immensely,  and  he 
eagerly  launched  into  a  description  of  its  scope 
and  plan. 

As  the  subject  was  far  above  Patty's  compre- 
hension, she  listened  without  understanding  it 
clearly  at  all,  and  after  a  half  hour  or  so,  the 
continuous  conversation,  and  the  soothing  mo- 
tion of  the  boat  caused  the  little  girl  quite  unin- 
tentionally to  fall  sound  asleep. 

Mr.  Fleming  kept  on  talking  for  some  time 
after  this,  when  suddenly  it  occurred  to  him  that 
his  cousin  sat  very  still,  and  peering  round  the 
corner  of  the  big  blue  velvet  hat,  he  discovered 
that  his  audience  was  quite  oblivious  to  his 
learned  discourse. 

At  first  he  looked  a  little  annoyed,  then  he 
smiled  compassionately,  for  the  tired  child 
seemed  to  be  very  peacefully  resting,  and  her 
pretty  head  made  a  lovely  picture  against  the 
red  velvet  sofa. 

Mr.    Fleming    sent   for  the  stewardess,    an 
then  awoke  the  little  sleeper. 


88  Patty   Fairfield 

"  Come,  Patty,"  said  he,  gently  tapping  her  on 
the  shoulder,  "  it's  bedtime,  little  girl,  and  you 
must  run  away  to  your  bunk." 

Patty  opened  her  eyes  and  stared  about  her. 

"  Oh,  Cousin  Tom,"  she  said,  as  she  re- 
membered the  circumstances  under  which  she 
had  fallen  asleep,  "  I'm  so  sorry, — I  didn't  mean 
to  go  to  sleep,  and  I  was  interested." 

"  That's  all  right,  my  small  cousin,"  said  Mr. 
Fleming, "  and  now  go  along  with  the  stewardess, 
and  go  to  sleep  and  get  a  good  night's  rest." 
Patty  did  as  Cousin  Tom  directed,  and  never 
wakened  until  she  heard  the  steamer  scraping 
Against  the  dock  early  the  next  morning. 

She  rose  and  dressed  quickly,  and  when  the 
stewardess  came  for  her,  she  was  quite  ready  to 
go  to  meet  Cousin  Tom,  who  awaited  her  in  the 
cab'n. 

"  I  shall  give  you  a  roll  and  a  cup  of  coffee," 
he  trfiid,  as  if  half  afraid  that  Patty  would  want 
to  order  unheard-of  dishes,  "  for  they  are  ex- 
pecting us  home  to  breakfast,  and  we  have  only 
fifteen  minutes  before  our  train  starts  for 
Boston." 

Patty  drank  her  coffee  and  ate  her  roll  with  a 


An  Absent-Minded  Cousin          89 

relish,  and  declared  herself  ready  to  start.  A 
short  ride  in  the  cars  brought  them  to  Boston. 
They  left  the  train  and  entered  the  waiting- 
room,  where  Cousin  Tom  placed  Patty  in  a  seat, 
and  told  her  to  stay  there  and  not  move  while 
he  attended  to  her  trunks. 

Patty  obediently  sat  still,  and  soon  she  saw 
Cousin  Tom  returning.  But  just  before  he 
reached  her,  he  met  a  man  whom  he  evidently 
knew,  and  whom  he  seemed  overjoyed  to  meet. 
The  two  men  talked  earnestly  together,  and  then 
both  turned  and  walked  away. 

Patty  had  seen  instances  of  her  cousin's  ab- 
sent-mindedness, even  since  he  had  neglected 
to  take  her  to  dinner  the  night  before,  and  she 
guessed  at  once  that  he  had  forgotten  her  ex- 
istence, and  was  going  away  with  his  friend. 

She  had  no  intention  of  being  deserted  in  this 
way,  so  she  left  the  bags  and  wraps  which  she 
was  supposed  to  be  guarding,  and  ran  after  him. 

"  Cousin  Tom  ! "  she  cried  as  she  caught  up 
with  him,  "  where  are  you  going  ?  " 

"  Bless  my  soul !  "  he  exclaimed,  staring  at  her, 
"  I  forgot  you  were  with  me.  What  shall  I  do  ? 
Allow  me  to  present  Mr.  Harding.  Ted,  this  is 


90  Patty    Fairfield 

my  cousin,  Miss  Patty  Fairfield ;  I  am  supposed 
to  be  escorting  her  home,  but  if  what  you  tell 
me  is  so,  I  must  go  at  once  to  see  Varian. 
Wait,  I  have  it,  Patty ;  I'll  send  you  home  by  a 
messenger ;  you  don't  mind,  do  you  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed,  Cousin  Tom,"  said  Patty;  "  send 
me  any  way  you  like." 

So  Mr.  Fleming  called  a  messenger-boy,  and 
giving  Patty,  and  all  the  wraps  and  bags  into  his 
charge,  he  sent  them  to  his  mother's  house. 
**  Tell  them  I  met  Harding,  and  had  to  go  away 
with  him  on  some  very  important  business,"  he 
said  to  Patty.  "  I'll  be  home  to-night, — good- 
bye." 

And  with  a  hasty  hand-shake,  he  turned  again 
to  his  friend  and  they  walked  rapidly  away. 

"  Come  this  way,  miss,"  said  the  messenger, 
who  was  a  tall  youth,  polite  and  deferential,  and 
who  appeared  not  at  all  surprised  at  the  order 
given  him.  "  I'll  take  you  along  all  right." 

He  piloted  Patty  with  great  care  and  after  rid- 
ing for  some  distance  on  the  street  cars,  they  ar 
rivea  at  Mrs.  Fleming's  house. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   FLEMINGS 

THE  messenger-boy  rang  the  door  bell,  and  a 
white-capped  maid  opened  the  door.  When 
she  saw  the  uniformed  youth,  she  held  out 
her  hand  for  his  book,  signed  it  and  dismissed 
him. 

Then  turning  to  Patty,  she  said, "  This  way, 
miss,"  and  ushered  her  into  a  small  reception 
room. 

As  Patty  wrote  to  her  father  afterwards,  she 
felt  like  a  package  sent  from  a  department  store, 
and  she  looked  down,  almost  expecting  to  find 
herself  wrapped  in  paper  and  tied  with  a 
string. 

After  she  had  waited  about  ten  minutes,  a  tall 
young  woman  came  quickly  down-stairs  and 
passed  along  the  hall.  She  had  on  a  hat  and 
jacket,  and  was  evidently  going  away  in  a  great 
hurry. 

As    she   went  by  the   reception    room,  she 
91 


92  Patty   Fairfield 

caught  sight  of  Patty  through  the  open  door, 
and  stopped  in  surprise. 

"  Good-morning,"  she  said,  in  a  quick,  hurried 
way.  "  Did  you  wish  to  see  me  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Patty,  uncertain  whether 
this  was  a  cousin  or  a  visitor  at  the  house.  "  I 
am  Patty  Fairfield." 

"  Oh,  yes,  of  course, — our  cousin  from  the 
South.  I'm  so  glad  to  see  you," — she  shook 
Patty's  hand  hastily, — "  but  I  must  ask  you  to 
excuse  me  this  morning,  as  I  am  just  going  to  a 
meeting  of  the  '  Current  Events '  Club,  and  I  am 
already  five  minutes  late." 

With  an  apologetic  smile  she  hastened  away, 
and  Patty  waited  again. 

Then  she  heard  another  step  on  the  stairs,  and 
another  lady  entered  the  room.  This  time  it  was 
Aunt  Hester.  She  was  a  delicate  looking  little 
woman  with  silver  hair,  but  Patty  knew  her  at 
once  from  her  resemblance  to  her  father,  who 
was  Mrs.  Fleming's  brother. 

"  My  dear  child,"  said  her  aunt,  as  she  kissed 
Patty,  affectionately,  "  we  are  very  glad  to  have 
you  with  us.  But  where  is  Tom  ?  " 

**  He   met   a  friend,  Mr.   Harding,   and  went 


The  Flemings  93 

away  with  him  on  very  important  business.  He 
said  to  tell  you  he  would  be  home  to-night,  and 
he  sent  me  here  by  a  messenger-boy." 

"Very  well;  I  am  glad  you  reached  here 
safely.  Are  you  hungry?  Have  you  break- 
fasted?" 

"  I  had  coffee  and  rolls  on  the  boat,  but  I  am 
hungry,"  said  Patty,  frankly. 

"  Of  course  you  are ;  well,  you  shall  have 
something  to  eat  Let  me  look  at  you.  Yes, 
you  do  look  a  little  like  brother  Fred.  How  old 
are  you?" 

"Fourteen,"  replied  Patty. 

"  Ah,  just  the  age  of  Ruth  Fleming,  who  lives 
with  us,  and  who  will  be  pleasant  company  for 
you.  I  hope  you  will  be  happy  with  us,  my 
dear,  and  you  mustn't  mind  being  left  to  your- 
self a  bit,  for  we  are  very  busy  people.  Life  is 
too  short  to  be  wasted  in  idleness." 

"  Yes,"  assented  Patty,  thinking  that  this  aunt 
was  indeed  very  different  from  Aunt  Isabel. 

*  And  now,"  continued  Mrs.  Fleming,  "  I  am| 
going  to  send  Molly  to  you,  and  she  will  show 
you  to  your  room,  and  afterwards  give  you  some 
breakfast.     I  must  ask  you  to  excuse  me  this 


94  Patty   Fairfield 

morning,  as  I  have  to  go  to  the  sewing-class 
Ruth  is  at  school,  but  we  will  all  meet  at  lunch- 
eon which  is  served  promptly  at  one." 

Mrs.  Fleming  went  away,  not  hurriedly,  but 
tvith  a  quick,  decided  step,  and  in  a  few  moments 
Molly,  the  maid  appeared. 

She  was  a  merry-looking  Irish  girl,  and  her 
pleasant  smile  was  such  a  contrast  to  the  pre- 
occupied manners  of  the  ladies,  that  Patty  felt 
friendly  towards  her  at  once. 

"  Come  with  me,  Miss  Fairfield,"  she  said,  and 
taking  up  Patty's  hand-luggage,  she  led  the  way 
to  a  room  on  the  third  floor.  It  was  a  good- 
sized  room,  veiy  neat  and  well-furnished,  but 
with  none  of  the  luxury  and  beauty  of  Patty's 
room  at  Villa  Rosa. 

There  was  a  square  dressing-table  and  exactly 
in  the  centre  of  it  was  a  square  pincushion,  with 
a  glass  toilet  bottle  on  either  side  and  behind  it 
a  smaller  glass  bottle  to  match.  The  chairs  were 
stiff  and  straight,  and  there  was  a  haircloth  sofa 
with  a  small,  square  pillow  at  each  end  and  one 
in  the  middle. 

In  the  centre  of  the  room  was  a  table  with 
books  on  it,  and  writing  materials,  and  ? 


The  Flemings  95 

drop-light  hung  over  it  from  the  chandelier 
above. 

Though  plain  in  its  appointments,  the  room 
was  light  and  airy  and  exquisitely  neat  and  well- 
kept. 

Molly  deftly  unfastened  Patty's  bag  and  shawl- 
straps,  and  then  said : 

"  Now,  miss,  I'll  go  below,  and  when  you're 
ready,  come  down  three  flights  of  stairs  to  the 
dining-room,  and  I'll  give  you  some  breakfast." 

Patty  thanked  her,  and  when  she  had  left  the 
room,  Patty  sat  down  in  the  small,  straight- 
backed  rocking-chair  to  "  think  herself  out,"  as 
she  sometimes  expressed  it. 

She  felt  a  little  homesick  for  the  warm-hearted 
friends  at  Villa  Rosa,  and  yet  she  felt  sure  her 
Boston  relatives  were  going  to  be  very  nice,  if 
only  they  could  ever  find  time  to  talk  to  her. 

She  wondered  if  the  ladies  were  always  hurrying 
off  to  club-meetings,  and  if  Ruth  were  always 
studying.  She  would  be  glad  when  Cousin 
Tom  came  home,  for  she  was  very  sure  she 
liked  him. 

She  looked  critically  at  her  surroundings  and 
decided  that  when  her  trunks  came,  and  she 


96  Patty   Fairfield 

could  put  the  pretty  things  that  she  owned  all 
about,  the  room  would  look  much  more  cozy 
and  attractive,  and  so,  though  her  icception  had 
chilled  her  a  little,  she  thought  that  perhaps  she 
would  have  a  good  time  in  Boston  after  all. 

She  jumped  up  and  began  to  arrange  such 
things  as  she  had  brought  with  her. 

Her  pretty  silver  brushes  and  trays  looked 
somewhat  out  of  place  on  the  prim  dressing- 
table,  but  Patty  thought  them  a  decided  improve^ 
ment.  Then  she  unwrapped  her  mother's 
portrait,  and  placed  it  on  the  writing-table. 

"  It's  a  funny  place,  this,  motherdy,"  she  whis- 
pered to  the  picture,  "  and  I  don't  know  whether 
we'll  like  it  or  not ;  but  we'll  be  happy  together, 
you  and  I.  And  I  think  we'll  like  Aunt  Hes- 
ter, for  she's  papa's  sister,  you  know,  so  she 
must  be  nice." 

Then  Patty  went  down  the  three  flights  of 
stairs,  as  directed,  in  search  of  Molly. 

"  It's  funny,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  to  go  down 
cellar  to  breakfast.  But  I'm  sure  she  said  three 
flights,"  and  sure  enough,  when  she  reached 
the  basement,  Molly  met  her  with  a  kindly 
smile,  saying, 


The   Flemings  97 

"  Come  this  way,  miss,"  and  Patty  found  that 
the  front  basement  was  the  dining-room. 

Its  large  windows  were  protected  by  iron 
railings,  and  the  whole  room  had  an  air  of  solemn 
dignity  rather  than  cheerfulness,  but  Molly  was 
so  pleasant  and  cordial  that  Patty  felt  cheerful  at 
once. 

The  smiling  Irish  girl  brought  her  some  fruit, 
an  omelet,  hot  rolls  and  delicious  coffee,  and 
after  she  had  finished  her  solitary  meal,  Patty 
felt  better  able  to  cope  with  whatever  might  be 
awaiting  her. 

But  apparently,  nothing  awaited  her. 

It  was  about  ten  o'clock,  and  as  luncheon  was 
announced  for  one,  Patty  wondered  what  she 
was  expected  to  do  in  the  meantime. 

She  asked  Molly  where  Miss  Elizabeth  Fleming 
was. 

"Laws,  miss,"  said  Molly,  rolling  her  eyes, 
"  don't  make  no  attempt  for  to  see  her.  She's 
writin'  a  novel,  and  she's  up  in  her  den  on  the 
fourth  floor.  We  don't  even  call  her  to  her 
meals.  If  she  wants  to  come,  she  comes ;  and 
if  she  don't,  I  takes  a  few  things  up  and  sets  'eip 
outside  her  door." 


98  Patty   Fairficld 

"  Oh,"  said  Patty,  with  great  interest,  u  can't 
you  speak  to  people  when  they're  writing 
novels  ?  " 

"  Indade,  no,  miss.  It  spiles  the  whole  tiling^ 
and  they  has  to  begin  all  over  again  if  a  word  is 
spoken  to  them." 

"  I  think  that's  wonderful,"  said  Patty,  much 
impressed, "  and  I'm  just  crazy  to  see  my  Cousin 
Elizabeth.  And  Ruth,  where  is  she  ?  " 

"  Miss  Ruth,  she's  at  her  school,  miss,  around 
on  the  next  block.  She'll  be  home  at  one 
o'clock  and  then  you'll  see  her.  Now  why  don't 
ye  go  and  lie  down  and  rest  yerself?" 

"  But  I'm  not  tired,"  said  Patty,  "  I  just  want 
lo  get  started ;  get  to  living  here,  you  know. 
Can't  I  go  into  the  library  and  look  at  some  of 
the  books  ?  " 

"  Yes,  miss,  sure,  if  there's  nobody  there.  I'll 
shlip  up  an'  peep." 

Molly  went  softly  up-stairs,  and  Patty  followed 
on  tiptoe.  It  seemed  strange  to  be  so  quiet,  for 
at  Villa  Rosa  everybody  seemed  to  try  to  make 
all  the  noise  possible. 

"  You  can  go  in,"  said  Molly,  after  her  peep, 
«  nobody's  there ;  but  the  chairs  is  all  settin'  in 


The  Flemings  99 

rows,  so  I  guess  a  club  or  somethin'  is  comin'. 
But  go  in,  miss,  dear,  an'  amuse  yerself." 

So  Patty  went  in  the  library,  which  was  a 
large  back  room  on  the  main  floor. 

It  has  been  said  that  a  house  without  a  library 
is  like  a  body  without  a  soul,  and  surely  the 
library  was  the  soul  of  the  Fleming  home.  It 
was  a  beautiful  room,  built  out  behind  the  rest 
of  the  house,  with  a  large  skylight  of  stained 
glass,  and  a  wide  bay  window  whose  cushioned 
seats  looked  very  attractive. 

Patty  sat  down  and  looked  about  her.  The 
room  was  furnished  with  many  well-filled  book- 
cases, several  small  desks  and  tables,  and  a  num- 
ber of  reading-chairs,  whose  broad  arms  held 
books  and  magazines. 

Patty  began  at  once  to  examine  the  titles  of 
the  books,  and  was  delighted  to  find  a  large  case 
full  of  children's  books,  containing  all  her  old 
favorites,  and  many  more  that  she  had  never 
read. 

She  selected  "  The  Water  Babies/'  which  be- 
longed to  the  latter  class,  and  curling  herself  up 
on  the  window-seat,  was  soon  absorbed  in  the 
Story. 


joo  Patty   Fairfield 

A  little  later,  she  heard  the  street  door  open 
and  shut,  and  then  Cousin  Barbara  whisked 
hurriedly  into  the  library.  She  didn't  see 
Patty  at  first,  but  sat  down  at  a  desk  at  the 
other  end  of  the  room,  and  hastily  sorted  over 
some  papers. 

"  Ten-thirty  to  eleven-thirty,  pigs,"  she  mur- 
mured ;  "  eleven-thirty  to  twelve,  write  paper  on 
Choctaw  costumes ;  twelve  to  one,  attend  Boot- 
blacks' dinner.  Ten-thirty  !  Why  it's  time  for 
the  pigs  now." 

"  Will  I  interfere  with  the  pigs  if  I  stay  here, 
Cousin  Barbara?"  said  Patty,  curious  to  see 
the  animals  appear,  but  not  wishing  to  intrude. 

"  What !  are  you  there,  Patty  ?  Yes,  you  may 
stay  if  you  like,  but  make  no  noise  or  disturb- 
ance of  any  kind." 

"  I  won't,"  said  Patty,  and  then  Miss  Barbara 
proceeded  to  ignore  her  small  cousin's  presence, 
and  in  her  hurried  way,  prepared  her  books  and 
papers,  and  laid  small  slips  of  paper  and  pencils 
in  various  chairs,  and  occasionally  jotted  down 
something  in  a  small  note-book  which  she  took 
from  her  pocket. 

Soon  several  strange  ladies  were  ushered  into 


The  Flemings  101 

the  room  by  Molly,  and  Patty  was  much  disap- 
pointed by  the  fact  that  they  brought  no  pigs 
with  them,  and  was  just  hoping  that  they  would 
arrive  later,  when  the  meeting  was  called  to 
order,  and  she  learned  that  it  was  a  committee 
from  the  Town  Improvement  Association,  to 
consider  ways  and  means  for  the  amelioration  of 
the  general  condition  of  the  Common  Pig. 

Patty  thought  this  was  very  funny,  and  wanted 
to  laugh  when  the  ladies  discussed  it  seriously 
and  with  great  enthusiasm.  Sometimes  several 
talked  at  once,  and  then  Cousin  Barbara  rapped 
on  her  desk  with  a  little  hammer  and  they  began 
all  over  again. 

At  half-past  eleven,  they  all  went  away,  and 
Cousin  Barbara  whipped  out  her  packets  of 
papers  once  more.  Then  she  selected  several 
books  from  the  shelves,  and  sat  down  to  write. 
Presently  she  looked  up,  bewildered. 

"  Can  I  help  you,  Cousin  Barbara  ? "  said 
Patty,  eager  to  be  of  assistance. 

"  No, — yes, —  "  said  her  cousin,  absent-mind 
•edly.  "  Yes — if  you  will  please  hand  IPC  the 
encyclopedia — the  one  labeled  cho " 

Patty   easily  found   the   desired  volume   and 


.02  Patty   Fairfield 

carried  it  to  her  cousin,  who  said,  "  Thank  you," 
and  then  scribbled  away  as  fast  as  she  could  un 
til  the  clock  struck  twelve. 

"  Now,"  she  said,  thrusting  her  papers  in  hei 
desk,  "  I  must  go  to  the  Bootblacks'  Dinner," 
and  hastily  putting  on  her  jacket  and  gloves, — 
she  had  kept  on  her  hat, — she  flew  out  of  the 
room,  and  almost  instantly  the  street  door  closed 
behind  her. 

Then  Patty  resumed  her  book  and  read  until 
one  o'clock,  when  a  great  gong  that  could  be 
heard  all  over  the  house  announced  luncheon. 

Delighted  at  the  thought  of  seeing  the  family 
at  last,  Patty  skipped  down-stairs. 

Aunt  Hester  was  in  the  dining-room  and 
greeted  her  niece  cordially. 

"  Well,  my  dear,"  she  said,  "  I  hope  you  found 
something  to  amuse  you  this  morning.  To- 
morrow, if  you  wish,  you  may  go  to  school  with 
Ruth.  Ah,  here  she  comes  now.  Ruth,  this  is 
Patty  Fairfield,  my  brother's  child,  from  Rich- 
mond." 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,"  said  Patty  pleas- 
antly. "  Cousin  Tom  told  me  you  were  here,  arr' 
I  hope  we  shall  be  good  friends." 


The   Flemings  \j$ 

**  I  hope  so,"  said  Ruth,  a  little  awkwardly,  for 
she  was  a  trifle  confused  by  the  graceful  ele- 
gance of  Patty's  manner. 

Ruth  Fleming  was  a  thin  slip  of  a  girl,  with 
a  very  pale  face,  large  gray  eyes,  and  light  brown 
hair  which  was  smoothly  brushed  back,  and 
tightly  braided.  She  wore  a  gray  dress  and  her 
whole  effect  was  plain  and  colorless. 

Her  face  was  pure  and  intellectual,  but  so  calm 
and  expressionless  that  Patty  wondered  if  she 
ever  laughed  aloud,  and  if  she  ever  enjoyed  her- 
self very  much  in  any  way. 

Ruth  took  her  place  at  the  table  without  an- 
other word,  and  Patty  sat  down  beside  her  de- 
termined to  make  her  say  something,  if  she  had 
to  pinch  her. 

But  just  then  Cousin  Elizabeth  came  in,  and 
Patty  rose  to  greet  her. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Fleming  was  a  large,  handsome 
woman  with  black  hair,  and  snapping  black  eyes, 
^nd  such  a  winning  smile  that  Patty  liked  her  at 
once. 

"  Well,  Patty  cousin,  have  you  come  at  last  ?  " 
she  said.  "  I've  been  waiting  for  you  several 
years,  and  I'm  very  glad  tp  see  you."  She  gave 


104  Patty   Fairfield 

Patty  an  affectionate  caress,  and  kept  on  talking 
as  she  seated  herself  at  the  table.  Patty  after- 
wards discovered  that  Cousin  Elizabeth  always 
kept  on  talking,  no  matter  what  happened,  or 
who  else  was  talking  at  the  time. 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  "  we've  all  wanted  to  see  our 
Southern  cousin,  and  now  that  I  have  seen  youf 
I  think  you  are  delightful.  Mother,  Geraldine 
has  been  the  hatefullest  thing  this  morning ;  she 
just  sat  down  on  a  blue  satin  sofa,  and  she 
wouldn't  move,  nor  she  wouldn't  say  a  word.  I 
declare  I've  lost  all  patience  with  her." 

"  Who  is  Geraldine  ? "  said  Patty, "  is  there  any 
one  else  in  the  family  ?  " 

"  Geraldine  is  the  heroine  of  my  new  novel," 
said  Cousin  Elizabeth,  "  and  she  is  lovely,  but  so 
intractable.  You  wouldn't  believe  how  sulky 
and  stupid  she  gets  at  times.  Ah,  Barbara,"  as 
her  sister  bustled  into  the  room,  and  dropped 
into  a  chair  at  the  table,  "  how  are  the  boot- 
blacks ?  " 

"  Oh,  they're  lovely,"  said  Barbara,  "  they  ate 
all  the  dinner,  and  then  stole  the  forks.  I  res- 
cued some  of  them,  though — Elizabeth,  can't 
you  go  to  see  the  Common  Council  this  after- 


The   Flemings  105 

about  that  Statue  Fund?  I  have  a 
Mothers'  Meeting  at  two,  and  after  that  we  re- 
hearse the  Greek  pantomime,  and  oh,  mother, 
did  you  keep  that  Greek  robe  of  mine,  or  did  you 
give  it  away  ?  " 

"  I  gave  it  to  a  peddler,"  said  Mrs.  Fleming; 
"  it  was  full  of  moth  holes,  and  soiled  besides. 
He  gave  me  two  saucepans  for  it." 

"  Never  mind,  sis,"  said  Elizabeth,  "  you  can 
borrow  a  Greek  robe  from  Martha  Fowler;  she 
has  one,  I  know,  and  I'll  stop  there  for  it,  as  I 
return  from  the  Authors'  Tea.  Ruth,  what  have 
you  on  hand  for  this  afternoon  ?  " 

"  I  practice  until  three,  Cousin  Elizabeth. 
Then  «  The  Golden  Branch '  from  three  till  four, 
and  after  that  my  French  lesson  and  the  Physical 
Culture  class." 

"  H'm,  well, — somebody  ought  to  entertain 
Patty.  Mother,  what  are  your  plans  ?  " 

"  I  have  to  go  out  to  Cambridge  this  afternoon, 
to  collect  for  the  Dorcas  Aid  Society.  Patty 
can  go  with  me  if  she  likes,  but  I'm  afraid  she 
wouldn't  enjoy  it  very  much." 

"  No,  I'll  take  Patty  with  me,"  said  Cousin 
Elizabeth,  very  decidedly.  "  She'll  like  the 


106  Patty   Fairficld 

Authors'  Tea,  I  know,  and  if  we  have  time,  we'll 
look  in  at  the  Library." 

When  luncheon  was  over,  they  all  flew  away 
on  their  respective  errands,  and  Cousin  Elizabeth 
told  Patty  to  put  on  her  hat  and  coat,  and  meet 
her  in  the  reception-room  in  ten  minutes. 


CHAPTER  X 

PATTY'S  PRANKS 

SOMEHOW  the  time  passed  quickly  in  Boston  •- 
in  fact,  the  Fleming  family  seemed  fairly  to  push 
it  along,  they  hurried  so. 

At  any  rate  they  wasted  none  of  it,  and  after 
a  few  weeks,  Patty  fell  into  the  ways  of  the 
household,  and  hurried  along  with  the  rest. 

Indeed  she  had  to  do  so,  or  be  left  behind,  for 
her  cousins  were  like  Time  and  Tide,  and  waited 
for  no  man,  or  little  girl  either. 

She  went  to  school  with  Ruth,  but  found  her- 
self far  behind  the  New  England  girl  in  her 
studies,  so  she  took  her  place  in  a  lower  class, 
and  Ruth  kindly  helped  her  with  her  lessons  at 
home. 

Patty  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  Ruth ; 
she  had  never  seen  a  girl  like  her  before.  Of 
course  Ruth  was  pleasant  and  amiable,  but  she 
was  so  very  quiet,  seldom  talked  and  almost 
never  laughed. 

107 


io8  Patty   Fairfield 

Patty  joked  with  her,  and  told  her  funny  sto- 
ries, but  at  most  she  received  only  a  faint  smile 
in  response,  and  sometimes  a  blank  stare. 

She  wrote  to  her  father :  "  Ruth  is  the  queerest 
girl  I  ever  saw,  and  I  believe  she  is  all  out  of 
proportion.  She  studies  so  hard  that  she  has 
crowded  all  the  fun  out  of  herself.  You  know 
'  all  work  and  no  play  makes  Jack  a  dull  boy/ 
and  I  verily  believe  Ruth  is  the  dullest  girl  in  the 
world." 

But  Ruth  almost  always  won  the  prizes  offered 
at  school,  and  was  accounted  the  best  of  Miss 
Goodman's  pupils. 

Patty  liked  the  school,  and  she  "liked  Miss 
Goodman,  the  principal,  but  the  hours,  from  nine 
to  one,  seemed  very  long  to  her,  and  she  would 
often  get  restless  and  mischievous. 

One  day  she  thought  she  would  clean  her  ink 
well.  Ruth  shared  her  desk,  and  as  the  ink  well 
was  intended  for  the  use  of  both,  it  was  a  good- 
sized  one,  and  chanced  to  be  full  of  ink. 

So  Patty  must  needs  find  something  to  hold 
the  ink  while  she  washed  the  inkstand.  Not 
having  anything  appropriate,  she  made  a  cornu- 
copia of  a  sheet  of  stiff  writing-paper. 


Patty's    Pranks  109 

She  turned  up  the  point  securely,  poured  the 
ink  in,  and  folded  down  the  top,  feeling  sure  that 
she  could  get  the  ink  well  ready  before  the  ink 
soaked  through  the  paper. 

Ruth  saw  this  performance  and  a  look  of  grave 
disapproval  was  on  her  face,  but  as  communica- 
tion of  any  kind  during  school  hours  was  strictly 
forbidden,  she  made  no  sign. 

Just  as  Patty  had  completed  her  dangerous 
little  bundle,  and  held  it  in  her  hand,  looking  at 
it  admiringly,  Miss  Carter,  the  teacher,  happened 
to  notice  her. 

Now  as  the  strict  discipline  of  the  school  pro- 
hibited anything  which  was  not  directly  an  aid 
to  education,  Miss  Carter  felt  it  her  duty  to  con- 
fiscate the  suspicious-looking  package,  that  might 
be  candy,  and  that  certainly  did  not  pertain  ta 
school  work. 

"Patty  F?'  neld,"  said  she,  in  a  commanding 
voice,  "  you  are  out  of  order.  You  have  there 
something  apart  from  your  school  duties.  Bring 
it  to  me  at  once." 

"  But,  Miss  Carter," — began  Patty. 

"  Silence  !  not  a  word  !  hand  me  that  parcel ' 

"  Oh,  Miss  Carter,  I  can't !  it's  .  " 


no  Patty   Fairficld 

"  One  word  more,  and  you  will  be  expelled 
from  school.  I  require  implicit  obedience.  Bring 
me  that  parcel." 

As  there  was  really  nothing  else  to  do,  Patty 
walked  up  to  Miss  Carter's  desk,  gingerly  carry- 
ing the  package  of  ink. 

She  knew  what  would  happen  if  Miss  Carter 
took  it,  but  she  had  tried  to  explain,  and  as  she 
was  not  allowed  to  do  so,  she  couldn't  help  feel- 
ing that  the  result  would  serve  the  teacher  right 
for  being  so  unreasonably  tyrannical.  But  she 
thought  she  would  attempt  one  more  warning,  so 
she  said, 

"  You'll  be  sorry  if  you  take  it,  Miss  Carter." 

Angry  at  what  she  considered  an  impertinent 
threat,  Miss  Carter  grasped  the  paper  of  ink  with 
an  indignant  clutch,  and  a  black  flood  streamed 
over  her  hand  and  dress,  and  spurted  out  in  va- 
rious directions. 

Some  drops  flew  in  her  face,  and  on  her  im- 
maculate white  collar,  while  others  decorated  her 
desk  and  papers  with  black  blots. 

The  pupils,  who  had  watched  the  scene  with 
interest,  though  only  Ruth  knew  what  was  in  the 
cornucooia .  were  horror-stricken  at  the  calamity, 


Patty's    Pranks  ill 

and  sat  breathlessly  awaiting  the  explosion  of 
Miss  Carter's  wrath. 

But  a  drop  of  ink  rolled  down  that  lady's  au- 
gust nose,  and  involuntarily  she  put  up  her  hand 
to  brush  it  away.  This  produced  such  an  all- 
over  smudge  on  the  ink-spotted  face  that  the 
girls  burst  into  uncontrollable  laughter,  and  the 
unfortunate  teacher  rushed  out  of  the  room. 

Patty  was  not  expelled  from  the  school,  for 
after  hearing  Ruth's  grave  and  carefully  exact 
version  of  the  case,  Miss  Goodman  decided  that 
though  Patty  was  blameworthy,  yet  Miss  Carter 
had  been  too  peremptory  in  her  orders,  and  so 
had  brought  the  trouble  upon  herself. 

Patty,  who  was  fun-loving,  but  not  malicious, 
went  to  Miss  Carter  privately,  and  made  her 
peace  with  the  irate  lady,  but  it  was  several  days 
before  the  ink  stains  entirely  disappeared  from 
the  teacher's  face ;  and  as  for  the  blots  on  the 
desk  and  platform,  I  shouldn't  be  surprised  if 
they  were  there  yet. 

When  Patty  told  about  the  ink  episode  at 
home,  Aunt  Hester  was  exceedingly  shocked,  but 
Cousin  Tom  said, "  Patty,  you're  a  genius.  What 
made  you  think  of  wrapping  up  ink  in 


112  Patty   Fairfield 

"  There  was  nowhere  else  to  put  it,  Cousin 
Tom." 

"  I  suppose  if  you  hadn't  had  any  paper  3*011 
would  have  dumped  it  into  your  pocket,  eh  ?  " 

"  Tom,"  said  his  sister  Barbara,  "  how  careless 
you  are  in  your  diction.  '  Dumped  ink  ! '  One 
can  only  dump  a  powdered  or  granulated  sub- 
stance. By  the  way  I've  joined  a  new  club.  It's 
a  Society  for  the  Improvement  of  Advertisers' 
English,  and  we  work  in  such  a  novel  and 
efficacious  way.  To-day  Miss  White  and  I  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  go  through  the  shops 
in  a  certain  district,  and  call  attention  to  any 
errors  which  we  noticed  on  signs  or  placards. 
Well,  we  went  into  a  large  dry  goods  house,  and 
the  first  thing  that  caught  my  eye  was  a  sign 
'  Dotted  Swisses,  twenty-five  cents.'  I  sent  for 
the  advertising  manager  and  he  came.  Then  I 
said  to  him, '  Sir,  this  is  a  reliable  house,  and  of 
course  you  advertise  nothing  that  you  cannot 
supply.  A  Swiss  is  a  native  of  Switzerland,  and 
experience  has  taught  me  that  a  Swiss  is  often 
an  admirable  servant,  especially  clever  as  a  coolc. 
So  if  you  can  sell  me  a  Swiss  for  twenty-five 
cents,  I'll  take  one,  and  J  don't  care  whether  he 


Patty's    Pranks  1 1 3 

s  dotted  or  not.'  The  man  looked  extremely 
mortified  and  stammered  something  about  mean- 
ing muslin  goods  sold  by  the  yard.  '  Oh,'  said 
I, '  if  you  mean  dotted  Swiss  muslins,  why  don't 
you  say  so  ? '  and  Miss  White  and  I  stalked  out 
of  the  shop." 

"  That  club  of  yours  is  a  good  thing,"  said  Mr. 
Fleming,  meditatively,  "  I  hope  you  will  banish 
the  signs  which  announce  <  Boots  Blacked  In- 
side,' and  those  others  which  always  rouse  false 
hopes  in  the  minds  of  people  who  have  lost 
their  umbrellas,  by  promising  'Umbrellas 
recovered  while  you  wait.' " 

"  Yes,  we  will,  and  we're  going  to  do  away 
with  those  atrocious  doggerel  rhymes  in  the 
street  cars  and  substitute  real  poetry.  It  will 
cost  a  great  deal  to  get  it  written,  but  we  have 
funds,  and  the  public  taste  must  be  elevated." 

The  work  of  such  clubs  as  this,  and  constant 
endeavors  towards  educational  or  literary  attain- 
ment of  one  sort  or  another,  engrossed  the  at- 
tention of  the  whole  Fleming  family. 

Amusement  or  recreation  not  of  a  literary 
aature  was  never  indulged  in. 

So  serious  were  they  in  their  aims  and  pur- 


U4  Patty   Fairficld 

poses,  that  all  fun  was  crowded  out,  and  to  fun 
loving  Patty  this  was  a  sad  state  of  affairs 
indeed. 

As  she  wrote  to  her  father, "  the  worst  kind 
of  misproportion  is  that  which  leaves  out  all  fun 
and  jokes  and  laughing.  And  I'm  going  to 
play  a  joke  on  the  whole  family,  if  I  can  think 
of  a  good  one,  just  to  stir  them  up  for  once." 

Then  Patty  tried  her  best  to  think  of  some 
hoax  or  trick  that  would  be  harmless,  and  yet 
would  startle  all  the  Flemings  out  of  their  usual 
busy  routine. 

As  the  first  of  April  drew  near,  she  did  think 
of  a  plan,  and  she  decided  that  April  Fool's 
Day  gave  her  a  legitimate  excuse  for  teasing  her 
serious-minded  relatives. 

As  a  family,  their  habits  were  most  method- 
ical ;  meals  were  served  exactly  at  the  appointed 
hours,  and  every  one  appeared  in  the  dining- 
room  as  if  by  magic,  punctual  to  the  minute. 
Breakfast  was  at  eight,  and  Patty  had  often  heard 
Cousin  Elizabeth  say  that  she  always  woke  on 
the  stroke  of  seven.  None  of  the  others  woke 
earlier  than  that,  as  a  rule,  and  rules  in  the 
Fleming  house  had  verv  rare  exceptions. 


Patty's    Pranks  115 

So  Patty  decided  to  try  a  bold  scheme,  which 
was  nothing  less  than  to  set  everybody's  clock 
two  hours  ahead  on  the  morning  of  the  first  of 
April,  and  let  the  people  waken  to  find  they  had 
apparently  overslept. 

She  could  not  have  managed  this  very  well, 
except  for  the  fact  that  Cousin  Tom  had  re- 
marked a  few  days  before  that  he  had  left  his 
watch  at  a  jeweler's  to  be  cleaned,  and  was 
carrying  an  old  one  which  was  very  unreliable. 

So  mischievous  Patty  woke  very  early  on  the 
morning  of  the  first  of  April.  Indeed  she  had 
waked  several  times  during  the  night,  so  anxious 
was  she  for  the  success  of  her  trick. 

As  soon  as  the  dawn  made  it  light  enough  for 
her  to  see  her  way  indistinctly  round  the  house, 
she  slipped  on  her  dressing-gown,  and  crept 
softly  down-stairs. 

It  was  just  half-past  five  by  the  old  grand- 
father's clock  in  the  hall,  and  Patty  opened  its 
glass  door,  and  pushed  the  hands  around  until 
they  stood  at  half-past  seven.  Then  she  went  to 
the  dining-room  and  kitchen,  and  changed 
those  clocks  to  correspond. 

The  library  clock  was  harder  to  manage,  for  it 


l  ib  Patty   Fairfield 

was  a  cuckoo-clock,  and  she  had  to  stand  on  a 
table  to  reach  it. 

But  Patty  was  a  determined  little  girl,  and  hav- 
ing set  out  to  fool  the  family  she  was  not  to  be 
baffled  by  small  obstacles.  Then  she  went  up 
to  the  second  floor  and  into  her  Aunt  Hester's 
room.  She  felt  a  little  bit  like  a  burglar  when 
she  saw  the  dear  old  lady  peacefully  asleep  in 
her  bed. 

But  it  was  only  the  work  of  a  moment  to 
change  the  time  of  the  little  clock  that  ticked 
softly  on  the  mantel,  and  then  Patty  slipped  into 
the  next  room.  Cousin  Elizabeth's  watch  lay  on 
her  dressing-table,  and  as  it  was  a  little  stem- 
winder  just  like  Patty's  own,  it  was  easy  to  turn 
the  tiny  hands  two  hours  ahead. 

Cousin  Barbara's  watch  was  under  her  pillow, 
but  as  the  sound  sleep  of  that  lady  was  pro 
verbial,  audacious  Patty  slipped  her  hand  undei 
her  cousin's  head,  took  out  the  watch,  changed 
the  time,  and  replaced  it,  and  Miss  Barbara 
Fleming  slept  on  in  blissful  ignorance. 

Patty  was  afraid  that  Cousin  Tom  would  spoil 
the  whole  joke.  But  she  knew  that  he  had  no 
clock  in  his  room,  and  only  awoke  when  his 


Patty's    Pranks  1  i  / 

mother  knocked  at  his  door  each  morning.  She 
hoped  that  in  this  case  he  wouldn't  look  at  his 
watch,  or  if  he  did,  he  would  have  no  faith  in 
the  uncertain  old  chronometer  he  was  carrying 
at  present,  and  anyway  it  wouldn't  be  believed 
against  the  testimony  of  all  the  other  timepieces 
in  the  house. 

Last  of  all,  she  slipped  up  to  the  servants' 
room  and  changed  the  time  of  their  alarm  clock- 

Bridget,  the  cook,  and  Molly  were  sleeping, 
each  in  a  narrow  bed,  and  Bridget  was  snoring 
loud  enough  to  wake  them  both,  but  she  didn't. 

Then  Patty  hurried  back  to  her  own  room 
and  jumped  into  bed  again  to  await  results. 

Ruth  had  no  clock  or  watch.  She  seemed  to 
get  up  at  the  right  time  by  instinct,  and  Patty, 
after  carefully  thinking  it  all  over,  concluded  she 
^iad  done  her  work  very  thoroughly. 

And  so  she  had, — and  her  trick  was  a  great 
success.  Of  course  the  alarm  clock  went  off  ap- 
parently two  hours  late.  Bridget  woke  with  a 
start,  looked  at  the  clock,  rubbed  her  eyes  and 
looked  again,  and  then  she  turned  to  Molly. 

"  Arrah,  Molly,"  she  cried,  "  will  yez  luke  at 
that  now.  The  alarrum  is  jist  afther  goin'  off, 


li8  Patty   Fairfield 

an'  it's  eight  o'clock  !  Whativer  will  happen  to 
us?" 

Molly  jumped  up  in  great  excitement,  and  the 
two  maids  hastily  dressed  and  ran  down-stairs. 

Of  course  it  was  really  only  six,  but  as  the 
sun  was  now  shining  brightly,  they  had  no 
thought  for  astronomical  calculations,  and  be- 
sides, they  were  frightened  nearly  out  of  their 
wits.  Such  a  thing  had  never  before  happened 
in  the  well-regulated  Fleming  household. 

As  no  one  was  astir,  they  went  on  down  to 
the  kitchen,  corroborating  the  time  by  the  various 
clocks,  but  utterly  unable  so  understand  why  the 
family  were  still  all  asleep. 

Patty  heard  them  whispering  as  they  went 
down,  and  choking  with  laughter,  she  prepared 
to  wait  another  hour  for  more  fun, — and  it 
came. 

Elizabeth  woke  just  at  seven,  and  rising, 
glanced  as  usual  at  the  watch  on  the  dressing- 
table. 

"Nine  o'clock!"  she  almost  screamed,  run* 
ning  to  her  sister's  door. 

"  Barbara  !  what  does  this  mean  ?  It's  nine 
•'clock  !  Are  you  asleep  ?  " 


Patty's    Pranks  119 

Barbara  was  asleep,  but  she  awoke  at  her 
sister's  call  and  drew  her  watch  from  beneath 
the  pillow. 

"  It  is,"  she  cried,  "  it's  nine  o'clock  !  What 
shall  I  do?  There's  a  rehearsal  of  the  His- 
torical Tableaux  at  ten,  and  I  have  to  make 
three  wigs  before  I  go." 

"  But  even  that  isn't  as  important  as  my  en- 
gagement," wailed  Elizabeth,  who  was  splashing 
her  face  with  water.  "  I  have  to  be  at  the 
Authors'  Club  at  nine-thirty,  to  prepare  the 
room  for  the  reception  at  eleven,  and  nothing 
can  be  done  until  I  get  there.  And  I  must  do 
several  errands  on  my  way  there.  Oh,  it  can't 
be  nine  o'clock.  Perhaps  my  watch  stopped  at 
nine  last  evening.  No — it's  going.  Oh,  how 
unfortunate  I  am.  Mother,  mother,"  she  called. 

But  Mrs.  Fleming  was  already  up,  and  came 
through  the  hall  with  a  scared  face. 

"  Girls,"  she  said,  "  it's  after  nine  o'clock,  and 
Tom  has  to  go  away  on  the  9:45  train.  We 
have  overslept  ourselves." 

"  I  should  think  we  had,"  began  Elizabeth,  but 
Mrs.  Fleming  had  already  gone  to  her  son's 
room.  "  Tom,  Tom,"  she  called,  as  she  knocked 


12O  Patty    Fair  field 

vigorously  at  the  door,  "  get  up,  it's  after  nine 
o'clock ! " 

"  What ! "  came  from  Tom's  room,  accom- 
panied by  a  sudden  jump  out  onto  the  floor. 

Ruth  had  heard  the  commotion,  and  she  and 
Patty  each  appeared  at  their  doors. 

"What  is  it,  Aunt  Hester?"  asked  Ruth, 
roused  at  last,  Patty  was  glad  to  see,  to  some 
degree  of  animation. 

"  Why,  Ruthy,  it's  nine  o'clock !  We  have  all 
overslept.  Hurry  down-stairs,  children,  you'll  be 
late  to  school." 

Well,  such  a  commotion  as  there  was  ;  every- 
body compared  watches  and  clocks,  and  ex- 
claimed in  wonderment  and  dismay.  Tom  said 
that  his  watch  said  it  was  only  half-past  seven, 
but  of  course,  as  he  had  said  it  didn't  keep  per- 
fect time,  it  was  not  believed,  when  all  the  others 
said  half-past  nine. 

After  they  were  all  down -stairs  and  seated  at 
the  breakfast  table,  Patty  remarked  quietly, 

"  April  Fool !  It  isn't  half-past  nine  at  all  ; 
it's  only  half-past  seven.  I  set  all  the  clocks  for- 
ward two  hours." 

"  What !  "  said  Cousin  Elizabeth,  looking  as  if 


Patty's    Pranks  1 2 1 

she  would  annihilate  her.  "  You  little  witch ! 
You  dared  to — "  and  then  she  felt  such  a  re- 
lief to  think  she  would  have  ample  time  to  keep 
her  engagement  after  all,  that  the  ridiculous  side 
of  the  affair  struck  her,  and  she  began  to  laugh. 

"  Why,  Patty  Fairfield,"  said  Barbara,  and 
then  she  too  laughed;  and  Cousin  Tom,  when 
he  found  he  could  catch  his  train,  thought  it  all 
the  best  joke  in  the  world. 

Bridget  and  Molly  enjoyed  it  the  most  of  all, 
perhaps  because,  being  Irish,  they  had  a  greater 
sense  of  humor  than  the  Bostonians,  but  all 
agreed  that  Patty  had  played  a  very  successful 
April  Fool  joke  on  them.  All  except  Ruth, — 
she  didn't  see  any  fun  in  it  at  all,  so  Patty  gave 
ler  up  as  a  hopeless  case. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE   BOOK   PARTY 

ONE  evening  as  they  all  sat  in  the  pleasant 
library,  Cousin  Elizabeth  announced  her  inten- 
tion of  giving  a  party  for  Patty. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  she  said,  kindly,  "  that  you  find 
it  dull  with  us.  We  are  all  so  busy  with  our 
club  work  and  study,  that  we  have  really  neg- 
lected your  entertainment.  I  am  sorry  for  this, 
and  I  mean  to  give  you  more  youthful  pleasures 
during  the  remainder  of  your  stay  with  us." 

Patty  was  delighted,  for  life  at  the  Flemings 
-was  a  little  bit  humdrum  for  her,  though  her 
aunt  and  cousins  were  very  kind  whenever  they 
had  time  to  remember  her  existence. 

They  all  fell  in  with  Elizabeth's  plan,  and  be- 
gan to  discuss  what  kind  of  a  party  it  should  be. 

Patty  was  secretly  much  amused  at  the  con- 
trast between  plans  for  a  party  at  Villa  Rosa,  and 
in  Boston.  Nothing  was  said  about  decorations. 
122 


The  Book  Party  123 

And  the  supper  was  not  mentioned,  except  when 
Cousin  Elizabeth  said  she  would  order  some  cake 
and  ice  cream  from  a  confectioner ;  and  as  to 
dresses,  well,  they  seemed  never  to  be  even 
thought  of  by  the  Fleming  ladies.  Patty  wore 
the  plainest  of  the  clothes  her  Aunt  Isabel  had 
bought  for  her,  but  even  those  were  far  finer  than 
Ruth's. 

Apparently  the  difference  was  not  noticed,  for 
no  one  paid  the  slightest  attention  to  what  any 
one  wore. 

The  Fleming  ladies  were  always  dressed  neatly 
and  inconspicuously,  but  Patty  concluded  they 
must  pick  their  dresses  off  of  trees,  for  nothing 
was  ever  said  about  dressmakers  or  purchase  of 
materials. 

So  when  the  party  was  talked  about,  all  dis- 
cussion was  concerning  the  entertainment  of  the 
minds  of  the  young  guests. 

Intellectual  games  were  proposed,  and  even 
Ruth  grew  almost  excited  over  the  scheme  of  a 
"  Quotation  Salad." 

But  Cousin  Elizabeth  said,  "  Games  are  not 
enough.  I  want  something  more  like  a  charac- 
ter party.  Ah,  I  have  it.  Let  us  ask  each 


124  Patty   Fairfield 

guest  to  represent  some  children's  book,  or  some 
favorite  character  in  juvenile  literature." 

"  Just  the  thing,"  exclaimed  Barbara ;  «  Eddie 
can  be  <  Little  Lord  Fauntleroy.'  " 
;  Eddie  was  a  neighbor's  child,  who  had  long 
flaxen  curls  and  who  would  make  a  perfect 
counterpart  of  the  pictures  of  Fauntleroy.  The 
Flemings  all  entered  into  the  plan  of  the  party 
with  their  usual  enthusiasm,  and  found  time  be- 
tween their  numerous  engagements  to  prepare 
quite  a  programme  of  entertainment. 

A  platform  was  put  up  in  the  library,  with 
curtains  to  draw  in  front  of  it,  and  as  this  was 
done  very  easily  and  quickly,  Patty  rightly 
judged  it  had  often  been  done  before. 

At  last  the  time  came,  and  everything  was  in 
readiness.  The  party  was  to  begin  at  seven,  and 
promptly  at  that  hour  the  boys  and  girls  began 
to  arrive.  Though  seemingly  so  indifferent  to 
every-day  costumes,  Cousin  Elizabeth  had  taken 
much  interest  in  dressing  Patty  and  Ruth  for 
this  occasion,  and  Patty  looked  very  sweet  and 
pretty  arrayed  as  Little  Bo-Peep.  Cousin  Tom 
had  chosen  this  character  for  her,  and  had 
helped  to  design  the  dress.  It  was,  of  course, 


The  Book  Party  125 

the  garb  of  a  dainty  little  shepherdess,  and  it 
had  blue  panniers  over  a  quilted  white  satin 
petticoat,  and  a  black  velvet  bodice  laced  over  a 
white  chemisette. 

Then  Patty  wore  a  broad  brimmed  hat 
trimmed  with  roses  and  fluttering  ribbons. 
High-heeled  slippers  with  bright  buckles  and  a 
crook  tied  with  blue  ribbons  added  to  the  quaint 
effect,  and  the  whole  costume  was  very  becoming 
to  pretty  Patty. 

Ruth  looked  equally  well,  though  in  a  very 
different  way. 

She  represented  the  Puritan  Maiden,  Priscilla ; 
who,  though  not  a  juvenile  character  was  one  of 
Ruth's  favorite  heroines,  and  the  dress  suited 
her  so  well,  that  Cousin  Elizabeth  said  she 
should  wear  it. 

A  straight,  scant  gown  of  Quaker  gray  silk,  a 
soft  white  mull  kerchief  folded  across  her  breast, 
and  a  white  muslin  cap,  transformed  Ruth  into  a 
demure  little  Puritan  maid. 

Her  small,  pale  face  and  quiet  eyes  suited  the 
character,  and  the  modest  garb  was  very  be- 
coming. 

Among    the    guests   were   represented,   Red 


126  Patty   Fairfield 

Ridinghaod,  Cinderella,  Little  Boy  Blue,  Simple 
Simon,  and  many  other  well-known  personages 
from  Fairy  Tales  or  Mother  Goose's  Melodies. 

Then  there  were  characters  from  more  recent 
books,  such  as  Little  Women,  Alice  in  Wonder- 
land, Master  Skylark  and  even  Arabella  and 
Araminta,  who  were  dressed  exactly  alike. 

Historical  characters  were  there  too;  the 
Princess  in  the  Tower  chatted  amiably  with 
Joan  of  Arc,  while  Lady  Jane  Grey  compared 
notes  with  Pocahontas. 

Some  of  the  children  wore  such  nondescript 
costumes  that  it  was  difficult  to  guess  whom 
they  intended  to  represent. 

After  all  had  arrived  the  programme  of  enter- 
tainment was  begun. 

The  motley  crowd  was  seated  in  the  library 
and  soon  the  curtains  in  front  of  the  platform 
were  drawn  apart  revealing  a  table  on  which  was 
a  large  gramophone. 

Cousin  Tom  manipulated  the  instrument  and 
the  children  heard  orchestral  music,  plantation 
songs,  comic  speeches,  and  finally  the  exhibition- 
day  exercises  of  a  district  school,  which  made 
them  all  laugh.  After  this,  several  of  the  guests 


The  Book  Party  127 

were  called  on  to  recite  or  to  sing,  and  as  they 
had  been  notified  beforehand,  they  were  pre- 
pared for  the  occasion,  and  exerted  their  best 
elocutionary  and  vocal  efforts. 

As  her  contribution  to  the  entertainment, 
Patty  sang  several  of  Robert  Louis  Stevenson's 
child-songs,  which  are  set  to  such  beautiful 
music,  and  Ruth  recited  a  portion  of  "The 
Courtship  of  Miles  Standish." 

Then  the  curtains  were  drawn,  and  soon  after 
the  lights  in  the  room  were  all  turned  out. 
Then  the  curtains  flew  open  again  disclosing  a 
white  sheet  brightly  illuminated  from  behind. 

Somebody  read  aloud  the  poem  by  Richard 
Barham  about  "  The  Knight  and  the  Lady," 
while  a  shadow  pantomime  representing  the 
action  of  the  ballad  was  shown  on  the  sheet. 

It  was  very  funny. 

Cousin  Elizabeth  was  the  Lady  Jane,  who  was 
"  tall  and  slim,"  while  the  part  of  Sir  Thomas 
was  wonderfully  well  acted  by  Cousin  Tom,  and 
when  that  portly  old  gentleman,  who  it  seems 
was  a  naturalist,  went  around  "  unearthing  his 
worms  and  his  errubs,"  he  looked  very  funny  in- 
deed. 


128  Patty   Fairfield 

And  then  when 

"  Close  by  the  side 

Of  the  bank  he  espied 

An  uncommon  fine  tadpole,  remarkably  fat ; 
He  stooped,  and  he  thought  her  his  own,  he  had  caught  her. 
Got  hold  of  her  tail,  and  to  land  almost  brought  her, 
When,  he  plumped  head  and  heels  into  fifteen  feet  water," 

and  the  shadow  Sir  Thomas  ducked  suddenly 
into  the  pond,  and  a  very  real  splashing  was 
heard,  the  delighted  audience  fairly  shouted  with 
laughter. 

And  then  when  the  funny  old  gardener  ap- 
peared, bringing  to  the  august  Lady  Jane  the 
news  of  Sir  Thomas'  fate,  and  when  the  jocund 
Captain  McBride  tried  to  console  the  weeping 
lady, — but,  no,  I  can't  tell  it  all  to  you ;  to  see 
how  funny  it  all  was  you  will  have  to  read  the 
ballad  in  the  "  Ingoldsby  Legends  "  for  yourself. 

When  that  was  over,  sandwiches,  ices  and 
cakes  were  served  and  they  seemed  to  be  as 
thoroughly  enjoyed  by  the  young  people  as  were 
Aunt  Isabel's  elaborate  feasts,  though  by  con- 
trast it  seemed  to  Patty  a  very  slight  repast. 

Next  came  the  "  Quotation  Salad  "  which  was 
Ruth's  pride  and  delight 

Cousin  Elizabeth  passed  around  a  great  bowl, 


The  Book  Party  129 

which  seemed  to  be  full  of  leaves  of  crisp,  green 
lettuce. 

They  were,  however,  made  of  tissue  paper, 
and  each  leaf  had  attached  to  it  a  strip  of  writ- 
ing paper  on  which  was  written  a  quotation. 

These  were  from  well-known  poems  or  historic 
speeches,  or  even  from  Mother  Goose's  Melodies 
and  other  juvenile  classics. 

Each  child  drew  out  three  leaves,  and  en- 
deavored to  remember  or  guess  the  source  of  the 
quotations  written  thereon. 

Then  the  roll  was  called,  and  all  who  could 
give  their  three  answers  correctly  were  marked 
one  hundred. 

After  this,  the  unguessed  ones  were  read 
aloud,  and  whoever  could  answer  them  received 
ten  more  on  his  or  her  score  for  each  perfect 
answer. 

To  the  child  attaining  the  highest  score,  a 
prize  of  a  Dictionary  of  Quotations  was  to  be 
awarded. 

Patty's  three  questions  were  easy  enough. 
One  was  "  His  cause  is  marching  on." 

Another  was  "  Twinkle,  twinkle  little  bat,"  and 
the  third  was  "  Don't  give  up  the  ship." 


130  Patty   Fairfield 

She  could  place  all  three,  but  when  the  more 
difficult  ones  were  announced,  she  found  that  she 
knew  very  little  about  general  literature. 

Ruth,  however,  could  tell  the  author  of  nearly 
every  one,  and  no  one  was  surprised  when  her 
score  was  declared  the  highest. 

However,  as  she  was  the  hostess,  she  declined 
to  accept  the  prize,  and  it  was  given  to  the  guest 
whose  score  stood  the  next  highest. 

Other  intellectual  or  literary  games  were 
played,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  the  children  were 
sent  home,  and  Aunt  Hester  bade  Ruth  and 
Patty  go  to  bed  at  once,  lest  they  should  not 
feel  like  getting  up  at  the  usual  hour  the  next 
morning. 

Patty  heartily  thanked  Cousin  Elizabeth  for 
taking  so  much  pains  to  make  the  party  a  pleas- 
ant one,  and  ran  away  to  bed,  wondering  if  many 
.little  girls  had  such  clever  relatives. 

The  spring  flew  by,  and  Patty  could  scarcely 
realize  that  s  -  e  had  been  in  Boston  nearly  three 
months,  when  a  letter  came  from  Mrs.  Barlow, 
her  mother's  sister,  at  whose  house  she  was  to 
visit  next. 

"  My  dear  Patty,"  her  Aunt  Grace  wrote,  "  we 


The  Book  Party  131 

are  going  to  our  country  home  on  Long  Island 
about  the  first  of  June,  and  we  want  you  to  come 
to  us  as  soon  as  we  get  settled  there.  No, — not 
settled,  we're  never  that,  but  as  soon  as  we  get 
enough  things  straightened  out  to  live  with. 
Our  country-place  is  called  '  The  Hurly -Burly,' 
so  you  may  prepare  yourself  to  see  a  family  that 
lives  up  to  that  name.  But  there  is  plenty  of 
amusement,  if  you  are  fond  of  boating  and  bath- 
ing, and  we  will  all  welcome  you  with  open  arms 
and  glad  hearts  ;  and  the  sooner  you  come,  the 
better  we  shall  like  it.  Your  cousins,  Bob  and 
Bumble  are  very  anxious  to  see  you,  and  are 
making  wonderful  plans  for  your  entertainment. 
So  come  as  soon  as  you  can,  and  if  you  will  let 
us  know  at  what  hour  to  expect  you,  Uncle 
Theodore  will  meet  you  at  the  Grand  Central 
Station  in  New  York,  and  bring  you  over  to  us 
at  Long  Island. 

"  Your  loving  Aunt, 

"  GRACE  BARLOW." 

I  . 

"But  I  don't   want  you   to  go,"  said   Ruth, 

when  she  heard  the  letter  read ;  "  I'd  like  to  have 
you  stay  here  always." 


132  Patty   Fairfield 

Patty  was  surprised  at  this,  for  Ruth  had 
always  seemed  so  cold  and  unresponsive,  that  it 
didn't  seem  as  if  she  had  any  affection  in  her 
nature. 

The  other  members  of  the  Fleming  family 
echoed  Ruth's  sentiments,  and  though  Patty  felt 
sure  their  expressions  were  honestly  meant,  yet 
she  thought,  too,  that  as  soon  as  she  had  gone, 
she  would  be  forgotten  in  the  rush  of  their  busy 
life. 

One  morning  in  early  June  as  they  sat  at  the 
breakfast-table,  Patty  received  a  telegram,  which 
said: 

"  Come  at  once  before  all  are  drowned. 
Grand  Central  five. 

"  HELEN  BARLOW." 

Although  Patty  didn't  know  it,  Helen  was  the 
real  name  of  her  cousin  who  was  always  called 
Bumble,  and  Patty,  horror-stricken  at  the  import 
of  this  message,  read  it  aloud,  asking  what  it 
could  mean. 

The  Fleming  family  were  entirely  unac- 
quainted with  the  Barlows,  and  could  give  no 
clue,  but  one  and  all  were  filled  with  consterna' 
tion  at  the  peremptory  summons. 


The  Book  Party  133 

Cousin  Tom  took  the  yellow  paper  and  pe- 
rysed  it  carefully,  then  said  : 

"  One  thing  is  clear,  at  any  rate,  Patty,  they 
expect  you  to  be  at  the  Grand  Central  Station  ID 
New  York  to-day  at  five  o'clock,  and  you  shall 
be  there,  for  I'll  take  you  myself." 

So  they  all  helped  with  the  packing,  a; id  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  one  trunk  ready  for  Patty  to 
take  with  her,  promising  to  send  her  other  be- 
longings after  her  a  few  days  later. 

With  hurried  good-byes  and  a  promise  of  an- 
other visit  to  Boston  at  some  future  time,  Patty 
went  away  with  Cousin  Tom,  and  they  took  the 
-rain  for  New  York. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE    HURLY-BURLY 

PATTY  and  Cousin  Tom  reached  the  Granc 
Central  station  in  New  York  about  six  o'clock, 
and  leaving  the  train,  went  in  search  of  any 
member  of  the  Barlow  family  who  might  be 
there  to  meet  them. 

They  hadn't  walked  a  dozen  steps  before  they 
were  confronted  by  three  broadly  smiling  faces. 

These  faces  belonged  to  a  tall,  large  man  with 
his  arms  full  of  bundles,  and  a  boy  and  girl  who 
seemed  both  to  be  about  Patty's  own  age. 

"  You're  Patty,  I  know  it, — I  know  it ! "  cried 
the  girl,  and  she  flung  her  arms  round  Patty's 
neck  and  kissed  her  heartily.  "  I  am  Bumble, 
and  this  is  Bob,  my  twin ;  oh,  I'm  so  glad  to  get 
you." 

By  this  time  Bob  was  shaking  Patty's  hand 
vigorously,  and  Mr.  Barlow  was  trying  to  squeeze 
all  of  his  bundles  into  one  arm,  that  he  might 

have  a  hand  free  to  offer  his  niece. 
134 


The  Hurly-Burly  135 

Then  Patty  introduced  Cousin  Tom,  and  the 
party  all  went  into  the  waiting-room  together. 

"  But  who  sent  me  that  telegram  ?  and  who  is 
Helen?"  inquired  Patty,  as  she  walked  along 
with  one  of  her  twin  cousins  clinging  to  either 
arm. 

"  Oh,  that's  me,"  said  Bumble.  "  My  real 
name's  Helen,  but  nobody  ever  calls  me  it." 

"  Because  she's  like  a  bumble-bee,"  explained 
Bob.  "  She's  always  tumbling  about  and  knock- 
ing into  people,  and  she's  so  buzzy  and  fat." 

"  Yes,"  said  Bumble,  good-naturedly,  "  I  am ; 
I'd  like  to  be  slim  and  graceful  like  you,  but  I'm 
not,  so  I  just  put  up  with  myself  and  have  all  the 
fun  I  can." 

Mr.  Barlow  gave  Mr.  Fleming  a  cordial  invita- 
tion to  continue  his  journey  with  Patty,  and 
spend  the  night  at  "  The  Hurly-Burly,"  as  his 
country-place  on  Long  Island  was  called,  but 
Cousin  Tom  declined,  saying  he  had  business  in 
New  York. 

"  But,  Patty,"  he  said,  "  your  new-found  re- 
latives seem  to  be  in  no  immediate  danger  of 
drowning." 

"  No,"   said  Patty,  who  was    consumed  with 


136  Patty   Fairficld 

curiosity  to  know  what  the  telegram  could  have 
meant. 

"  Drowning !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Barlow,  "  what 
are  you  talking  about?  The  bathing  is  very 
safe  at  our  place  ;  there's  really  no  danger  at  all, 
unless  one  is  positively  foolhardy." 

"  No,"  said  Patty, "  but  my  telegram  said " 

"  Oh,  I  know,"  broke  in  Bumble.  "  Papa  left  it 
to  me  to  send  you  word  to  come  to-day,  and  I 
didn't  get  at  it  until  it  was  too  late  to  write,  so  I 
telegraphed, — and  I  was  so  afraid  you  wouldn't 
get  here  before  the  kittens  were  drowned,  that  I 
mentioned  it  to  make  you  hurry  up." 

"  Kittens ! "  exclaimed  Patty,  laughing,  "  you 
didn't  say  kittens." 

"  I  know  it,  but  the  ten  words  gave  out  too 
soon.  I  just  had  room  to  get  in  that  we'd  meet 
you  at  five  o'clock.  Oh,  the  kittens  are  such 
dears  !  Two  black  ones  and  a  white  one  and  a 

spotted  one The  white  one  is  the  prettiest, 

but  she's  an  idiot,  poor  thing." 

Cousin  Tom  was  relieved  to  learn  that  no  hu- 
man beings  were  in  jeopardy  of  their  lives,  but 
he  secretly  thought  that  Patty's  new  home  was 
to  be  among  very  erratic  people. 


The  Hurly-Burly  137 

He  bade  his  small  cousin  good-bye  with  real 
regret,  for  he  and  Patty  had  become  firm  friends 
during  her  Boston  visit.  After  Mr.  Fleming  had 
left  them,  Mr.  Barlow  picked  up  all  his  bundles 
and  packages,  and  telling  the  three  children  to 
follow  him,  he  stalked  away  at  a  rapid  pace. 

Bob  took  Patty's  satchel  and  Bumble  took  her 
umbrella,  then  they  each  grasped  her  arm  and 
marched  her  along  after  their  father. 

"  You  see,"  explained  Bob,  "  dad  walks  so 
very  fast  that  we  have  to  scurry  to  keep  him  in 
sight.  So  we'll  boost  you  along, — it'll  only  be  a 
minute." 

And  sure  enough  in  a  moment  Mr.  Barlow 
stopped  at  a  street-car,  and  turned  around  ex- 
pecting to  find  the  children  at  his  elbow,  and 
there  they  were.  He  put  them  on  the  car, 
jumped  on  himself,  and  they  all  went  over  to  the 
ferry. 

A  ride  across  the  East  River  on  the  ferry- 
boat, and  then  a  short  ride  in  the  cars  brought 
them  to  the  station  of  Sandy  Cove. 

Here  Mr.  Barlow  expected  his  own  carriage  to 
be  awaiting  them,  but  no  carriage  was  in  sight. 
As  it  was  growing  dusk,  and  their  home 


138  Patty    Fairfield 

was  still  two  miles  distant,  this  was  very  an- 
noying. 

"  I'll  walk  over  home,  and  bring  the  carriage 
back  for  you,"  volunteered  Bob ;  "  it  must  be  that 
Dil  has  forgotten  to  come  for  us." 

"  No,"  said  his  father,  "  you  needn't  do  that,--, 
we'll  all  jog  along  together  and  probably  we'll 
meet  Dil  on  the  way." 

"  Dil  is  the  man  who  takes  care  of  our  horse/' 
said  Bumble,  as  they  walked  along.  "  That's 
short  for  Dilatory,  and  we  call  him  that  'caus< 
he's  so  slow.  In  fact,  we  never  know  whether 
he's  coming  for  us,  or  not." 

And,  apparently,  this  time  Dilatory  was  not 
coming,  for  the  travelers  walked  all  the  way  with- 
out meeting  the  carriage.  As  they  walked  up 
the  path,  Patty  was  somewhat  surprised  to  see 
that  what  Mr.  Barlow  called  a  cottage  was  in 
reality  a  large  house.  Wide  verandas  ran  all 
the  way  round  it  on  both  the  first  and  second 
stories,  and  magnificent  trees  waved  their 
branches  around  and  over  it. 

"  This  is  the  Hurly-Burly,  Patty,"  said  her 
uncle,  "  and  if  anything  isn't  quite  in  order,  you 
must  pardon  it,  for  we're  scarcely  settled  yet,  and 


The  Hurly-Burly 

haven't  had  time  to  get  everything  to  rights ; 
and  your  Aunt  Grace  had  the  misfortune  to 
sprain  her  ankle  yesterday,  so  she  can't  attend 
to  things  as  she  otherwise  would.  But  whatever 
you  want  just  you  come  straight  and  tell  your 
Uncle  Teddy,  and  you  shall  have  it,  if  it's  a  roc's 
egg-" 

Patty  laughed,  for  she  well  knew  what  hap- 
pened once  when  a  roc's  egg  was  asked  for. 

Then  they  entered  the  main  front  door,  and 
Patty  found  herself  in  a  wide  hall  that  ran  straight 
through  the  house  with  a  door  at  either  end. 

There  were  large  rooms  on  both  sides  of  the 
hall,  and  following  her  uncle  into  one  of  these 
rooms,  which  was  the  sitting-room  or  general 
living-room  of  the  family,  Patty  saw  a  remarka- 
ble sight.  In  a  large  armchair  sat  a  sweet-faced 
lady,  with  an  ottoman  in  front  of  her,  on  which 
her  bandaged  foot  was  resting  on  a  pillow.  She 
was  reading  a  book,  which  she  laid  down  as  she 
heard  people  approaching,  and  over  her  head 
she  held  an  open  umbrella. 

This  was  a  wise  precaution,  for  a  drenching 
rain  was  pouring  on  the  umbrella,  and  water 
dripped  steadily  from  the  ends  of  its  ribs. 


140  Patty   Fairfield 

"  Why,  Grace,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Barlow,  "  what 
are  you  doing  ?  What  has  happened  ?  " 

"  The  tank  must  have  burst,"  returned  his  wife, 
placidly,  "  but  fortunately  I  had  this  umbrella  by 
me,  so  I  opened  it,  and  as  you  see,  I  am  scarcely 
wet  at  all.  Is  this  Patty  ?  Come  here,  my  dear. 
I  am  your  Aunt  Grace,  your  mother's  sister,  and 
I  am  prepared  to  love  my  little  niece  very 
much." 

Patty  returned  very  willingly  her  aunt's  loving 
caress,  and  the  two  nestled  together  under  the 
big  umbrella,  while  Bob  and  Bumble  laughed  at 
the  funny  picture  they  made. 

Uncle  Ted  had  hastily  dropped  all  his  bundles 
on  the  hall  table,  and  had  run  up-stairs  to  see 
what  was  the  matter  with  the  tank. 

"  I  have  a  sprained  ankle,  Patty,"  said  her 
aunt,  by  way  of  explanation  of  her  predicament, 
u  and  I  can't  move  a  step.  So  I  keep  a  cane 
near  me  to  knock  on  the  floor  when  I  want  any- 
body to  fetch  me  things,  but  the  cane  got  mis- 
laid somehow,  so  I  had  this  umbrella  in  its  place. 
And  wasn't  it  fortunate  ?  For  when  the  water 
began  to  drip  down  I  just  put  up  the  umbrella 
and  protected  myself  perfectly.  The  only  trouble 


The  Hurly-Burly  141 

«ras,  I  couldn't  close  it  to  knock  on  the  floor 
without  getting  myself  drenched,  so,  as  I  had  an 
interesting  book  I  just  waited  patiently  for  some- 
body to  come.  The  servants  have  gone  on  an 
excursion  and  Nan  is  away,  too,  so  there  was  no 
one  to  knock  for  except  old  Dilatory,  and  he 
wouldn't  have  heard  me  anyway.  Now,  Bob,  if 
you'll  get  another  umbrella  to  hold  over  yourself 
while  you  move  me  to  dryer  quarters  I'll  be 
truly  grateful." 

"  Take  mine,"  said  Patty,  running  to  fetch  it, 
and  then  she  held  her  open  umbrella  over  Bob 
while  he  wheeled  his  mother's  chair  across  the 
hall  and  into  the  music-room. 

Bumble  moved  the  ottoman  at  the  same  time, 
and  though  she  meant  to  be  very  careful,  she 
bumped  the  wounded  foot  terribly  when  going 
over  the  door-sills,  but  Mrs.  Barlow  pretended  it 
didn't  hurt  her,  and  thanked  the  children  lovingly 
for  their  assistance.  "  Now,  Bob,"  she  said,"  run 
and  help  your  father.  I  suppose  he's  up  in  the 
tank-room  investigating  the  source  of  that  water- 
fall. Teh1  him  he'd  better  send  Dil  fora  plumber 
at  once ;  and  Bumble,  you  go  and  see  if  cook 
has  returned  yet,  for  if  not,  I  don't  know  when 


142  Patty    Fairfield 

we'll  get  any  dinner.  Patty,  dear,  take  off  your 
hat  and  jacket  and  then  come  and  sit  here  by  me, 
and  we'll  have  a  little  talk.  You  remind  me  very 
much  of  your  mother  at  your  age.  Do  you 
remember  her  at  all  ?  " 

"No,  Aunt  Grace;  I  wish  I  could,  but  she 
died  when  I  was  only  three,  you  know.  I  have  a 
beautiful  picture  of  her." 

"  Have  you  ?  you  must  show  it  to  me  when 
your  trunks  come.  You  are  like  your  mother  in 
form  and  feature,  and  I  hope  your  disposition  is 
like  hers.  She  was  the  loveliest  woman  I  ever 
knew.  So  sweet  and  gentle,  and  so  unselfish." 

"  I  think  you  look  like  her  picture,  Aunt 
Grace,"  said  Patty,  gazing  earnestly  at  her  aunt. 

"  Oh,  no,  child ;  she  was  a  hundred  times  more 
beautiful  than  I.  And  she  was  so  neat  and 
dainty,  and  always  did  the  right  thing  at  the 
right  time.  I  was  the  harum-scarum  of  the 
family,  and  I'm  sorry  to  say,  my  children  seem 
to  have  inherited  my  traits  of  character.  They 
are  so  careless,  forgetful  and  unsystematic.  But 
they're  dear  sweet  children,  and  I  hope,  Patty, 
you  will  learn  to  love  your  Barlow  cousins." 

"  I  don't  need  to  learn,  Aunt  Grace,  I  love 


The  Hurly-Burly  143 

them  already.  Bob  is  such  a  frank,  pleasant  boy, 
and  Bumble  is  a  dear ;  so  witty  and  bright." 

"  Yes,  they  are  intelligent ;  and  if  you  will  be 
patient  with  our  shortcomings,  I  think  we  will 
be  very  happy  together.  And  our  household,  at 
present,  contains  another  member.  Nan  Allen, 
who  is  visiting  here,  is  a  neighbor  of  ours  in 
Philadelphia,  and  though  several  years  older  than 
you,  she  is  a  most  charming  young  woman,  and 
I'm  sure  you  will  like  her.  Gracious !  how  the 
water  is  pouring  down  in  the  sitting-room  yet. 
I  wish  I  could  get  up  on  my  feet.  Run  up- 
stairs, Patty,  and  find  your  Uncle  Ted,  and  ask 
him  what  is  to  be  done  about  it  ?  " 

Although  unacquainted  with  the  house,  Patty 
ran  up-stairs,  and  through  various  rooms,  but 
without  finding  her  uncle. 

Anxious  to  do  her  aunt's  bidding,  she  ran  on 
up  to  the  third  story,  and  in  a  large  attic  room 
she  found  her  uncle  standing  before  a  large  old- 
fashioned  bookcase,  eagerly  reading  a  volume 
which  he  held  in  his  hands. 

"  What  about  the  water,  Uncle  Ted  ?  "  said 
Patty. 

«  Yes, — in  a  minute, — I'm  going  to  attend  to 


144  Patty   Fairfield 

it.  I'm  so  surprised  to  find  all  these  books 
here.  We  rented  this  cottage  furnished,  you 
know,  and  I  haven't  been  up  here  before.  I'd 
no  idea  these  books  were  here.  Yes, — I'll  see 
about  the  water  at  once." 

Patty  went  with  her  uncle  to  what  he  called 
the  tank-room,  and  there  Mr.  Barlow  discovered 
that  the  leak  was  in  a  supply  pipe  which  could 
easily  be  shut  off.  This  he  did,  and  the  down- 
pour was  immediately  stopped,  although  no 
water  could  be  drawn  through  the  house  until 
the  plumbers  should  come  and  repair  the 
pipes. 

"  Ted,"  said  Mrs.  Barlow,  as  her  husband  and 
Patty  returned,  "  I  don't  believe  Hopalong  will 
be  home  in  time  to  cook  dinner,  so  suppose  we 
have  a  pick-up  supper  ?  It's  getting  late,  and 
Patty  must  be  nearly  starved  after  her  journey 
from  Boston." 

"  All  right,"  said  Uncle  Ted,  cheerily ;  "  is 
there  anything  in  the  house  to  eat?  Where's 
Bumble  ?  " 

"  Go  and  hunt  her  up,  please,  and  tell  her  I 
want  her.  And  did  you  get  the  cheese  and  fruit 
as  I  asked  you  to  ?  " 


The  Hurly-Burly  145 

"Yes,  I  bought  out  the  whole  market  and 
carried  it  all  home  with  me." 

"  Very  well,  then  we  won't  starve.  Now  wheel 
me  into  the  dining-room  and  I'll  see  what  we 
have  on  hand." 

Just  then  Bob  and  Bumble  appeared,  each 
carrying  two  kittens,  and  these  four  sprawling 
bits  of  animal  life  were  deposited  in  Mrs.  Bar- 
low's lap,  while  Patty  was  called  upon  to  admire 
them. 

"  They  are  very  cunning,"  said  she,  stroking 
them  rather  gingerly,  for  they  seemed  very  small 
and  frail. 

"  Oh,  you  can't  hurt  them,"  said  Bob ;  "  see, 
pick  'em  up  this  way,"  and  he  grasped  one  by 
the  back  of  its  neck  and  held  it  sprawling  in  the 
air. 

"  No,  hold  one  this  way,"  said  Bumble,  cud- 
dling a  little  ball  of  fur  in  the  palm  of  her  hand. 
«  But,  mumsey,  I'm  awful  hungry ;  aren't  we 
going  to  have  any  dinner?  Where's  Hopa- 
long  ?  " 

"  She's  gone  on  the  excursion,  my  dear.  Poor 
thing,  she  works  so  hard  I'm  glad  for  her  to  have 
a  little  outing." 


46  Patty   Fairficld 

"  H'm,  she  gets  one  about  twice  a  week,"  said 
Bob ;  "  Hopalong's  the  cook,  Patty.  We  call 
her  that  'cause  she  isn't  very  lively,  and  she  just 
shuffles  about.  But  she's  a  good-natured  old 
thing,  and  ruch  a  good  cook " 

"  Here,  children,  take  this  flock  of  cats,"  said 
Mrs.  Barlow,  "  and  we'll  soon  have  something  to 
eat,  cook  or  no  cook." 

Bumble  gathered  up  the  kittens,  beginning 
with  the  white  one.  "  This  is  the  idiot,"  she 
said,  "  but  isn't  it  a  pretty  cat  ?  You  can  see 
she's  half-witted,  'cause  only  one  eye  is  open, 
and  she  has  such  a  general  air  of  stupidity." 

"  She  might  turn  out  to  be  the  smartest  of  the 
lot,"  said  Patty. 

"  I  wish  I  could  keep  her  and  see,  but  dad 
says  they  must  all  be  drowned  to-morrow.  I  neg- 
lected the  last  kitten  I  had,  and  didn't  feed  her 
regularly,  so  the  poor  thing  died.  Daddy,  if 
you'll  let  me  keep  this  one,  I'll  never,  never  for- 
get to  feed  her — honest  I  won't.  Please  let  me 
keep  just  this  one,"  and  Bumble  rubbed  the  furry 
ball  on  her  father's  cheek. 

"  Well,  take  them  away  now,  and  we'll  see 
about  it,"  said  her  father,  and  Bumble  danced  off 


The  Hurly-Burly  147 

with  the  kittens  feeling  almost  sure  that  she  had 
gained  her  point. 

Then  Bob  and  his  father  moved  Mrs.  Barlow 
with  her  chair  and  footstool  out  to  the  dining- 
room. 

"  I  don't  know  what  there  is,  myself,"  she  said, 
«  but  we'll  forage  in  the  sideboard  and  pantry 
and  see." 

The  foraging  resulted  in  a  pair  of  cold  roasted 
ducks,  plenty  of  plum-cake  and  a  cherry-pie. 

"  I'm  sorry  there  isn't  any  bread,"  said  Mrs. 
Barlow,  apologetically ;  "  I  told  Hopalong  to 
order  it  as  she  went  by  the  baker's,  but  I  fear  she 
forgot  it." 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Bob,  "  I  don't  care  much 
for  bread,  anyhow,  do  you,  Patty  ?  Mother,  here's 
a  lot  of  cold  potatoes.  Can't  you  make  a  salad  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Barlow  ;  so  the  chil- 
dren brought  the  ingredients,  and  a  fine  salad  was 
soon  concocted. 

While  this  was  going  on,  Miss  Allen  came 
running  in. 

"  Oh,"  she  exclaimed,  "  I'm  as  hungry  as  a 
hunter.  We've  been  out  sailing,  and  I've  such 
<ui  appetite.  Who  is  this  pretty  child  ?  " 


148  Patty    Fairfield 

"  This  is  Patty  Fairfield,"  said  Bumble,  "  my 
cousin,  from  the  South." 

"  Oh,  yes,  of  course,  I  knew  you  expected  her 
to-day.  How  do  you  do,  Patty  ?  I'm  very  glac 
to  see  you.  I  am  Nan  Allen,  and  1  want  you  to 
like  me  better  than  you  do  any  of  the  Barlows. 
Do  you  hear  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Patty,  "  but  I'll  wait  until  I  see  if 
you  like  me." 

Miss  Allen  was  a  very  pretty  young  lady,  of 
about  twenty,  with  sparkling  black  eyes,  and 
a  lot  of  curly  golden  hair,  which  she  wore 
massed  high  on  her  head.  She  was  extremely 
vivacious  and  Patty  liked  her  at  once. 

Then  Bumble  set  the  silver  basket  on  the 
table,  and  Nan  brought  a  pile  of  plates  and 
everybody  helped  himself  or  herself  to  such 
viands  as  they  wished. 

There  was  much  laughter  and  gay  talk,  and 
Patty  enjoyed  the  informal  meal  immensely. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

HOME-MADE   MUSIC 

"WHY  do  you  call  this  the  music-room?" 
asked  Patty;  "there's  no  piano  in  it,  nor  any 
musical  instrument  that  I  can  see." 

"  That's  just  the  reason  why,"  replied  Nan. 
"  I  christened  the  room  myself,  and  I  called  it 
the  music-room  because  it  hasn't  anything  mu- 
sical in  it.  I  get  so  tired  of  seeing  music-rooms 
filled  with  pianos  and  banjos  and  mandolins  and 
guitars.  This  is  a  refreshing  change.  And  be- 
sides, when  we  want  music  we  can  sing." 

"  Then  won't  you  sing  now  ? "  said  Patty. 
"  I'd  like  to  hear  you." 

"  Why,  of  course  we  will ;  would  you  like  to 
hear  some  of  our  original  songs  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed !  Do  you  make  songs  your- 
self?" 

"  Oh,  we  always  make  our  own  songs. 
Home-made  songs  are  ever  so  much  better  than 
boughten  ones.  They  fit  better  and  wear 
149 


150  Patty   Fairficld 

longer.  We  don't  make  the  tunes,  though  ;  we 
just  appropriate  those.  First  we'll  sing  you 
1  The  Song  of  the  House.'  " 

This  was  sung  to  the  air  of  "  The  Kerry 
Dance,"  and  the  whole  family  joined  their  voices 
with  Nan's,  and  all  sang  with  great  spirit. 

Come,  oh,  come  to  the  Hurly-Burly, 

Come  and  join  in  the  jolly  fun 
That  begins  in  the  morning  early, 

And  continues  till  day  is  done. 

Sailing,  swimming,  walking,  riding, — 

On  the  land  or  on  the  sea  ; 
At  the  Hurly-Burly  biding, 

We're  as  happy  as  we  can  be. 

Oh,  the  jollity,  oh,  the  gayety, 
Just  come  down  and  see  ; 

CHORUS  :— Come,  oh,  come,  etc. 

Sometimes  we  take  sandwiches  of  chick, 
And  go  off  on  a  merry  pick-a-nick  ; 
Sometimes  we  in  hammocks  idly  swing, 
At  other  times  we  only  sit  and  si-i-ng — 

CHORUS  : — Come,  oh,  come,  etc. 

"  That's  beautiful,"  said  Patty  when  they  had 
finished  the  song.  "  I'll  learn  the  words,  and 
then  I  can  sing  it  with  you." 

"  Indeed  you  must,"  said  Nan,  "  and  now  I'll 
sing  you  the  song  of  the  Barlow  family ;  they 


Home-Made  Music  151 

won't  sing  it  themselves,  but  when  you  learn  it, 
j^ou  and  I  can  warble  it  together." 

"  Sing  a  song  of  Barlows, 
A  family  full  of  fun ; 
A  father  and  a  mother, 
A  daughter  and  a  son. 

"  When  the  door  is  open 
Hear  the  family  sing  ! 
All  the  people  passing  by 
Run  like  anything." 

"  It's  a  base  libel,"  said  Uncle  Ted  ;  "  we  sing 
beautifully,  and  except  that  Bumble  flats,  and 
Bob  has  no  ear,  there  isn't  a  flaw  in  our  sing- 
ing." 

The  evening  passed  merrily  by,  and  when  it 
was  bedtime,  Bumble  showed  Patty  to  her  room. 

When  Patty  found  that  a  large  front  room  on 
the  second  floor  had  been  allotted  to  her,  she 
expressed  a  fear  lest  she  might  be  inconvenienc- 
ing some  one  else  by  taking  one  of  the  choice 
rooms  of  the  house. 

"  Not  a  bit,"  said  Bumble.  "  Nan  has  the 
tower-room,  because  she  likes  it  better,  and  the 
house  is  so  big,  there  are  plenty  of  rooms,  any- 
way. Of  course,  if  a  lot  of  company  comes,  we 
may  ask  you  to  give  up  this,  and  take  a  smaller 


152  Patty   Fairfield 

room,    but    you    wouldn't     mind    that,    would 
you  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed,"  said  Patty.  "  I'll  move  out  at 
any  time."  Then  Bumble  kissed  her  cousin 
good-night  and  went  away. 

Patty's  trunk  had  been  placed  in  her  room, 
and  she  found  that  some  one  had  kindly  un- 
fastened its  straps  and  clasps,  so  she  had  only  to 
unlock  it.  She  unpacked  her  clothes,  and  hung 
up  her  dresses  in  the  wardrobe  and  cupboard, 
and  put  things  neatly  away  in  the  bureau- 
drawers. 

She  placed  her  mother's  picture  on  a  small 
table,  and  looking  at  it  critically,  she  concluded 
that  it  was  like  Aunt  Grace,  but  much  prettier. 

After  this,  Patty  looked  round  the  great  room 
with  much  interest.  It  seemed  to  contain  a  per- 
fect hodge-podge  of  furniture.  There  were  three 
dressjng-bureaus,  and  a  huge  wash-stand  with 
two  bowls  and  pitchers  on  it.  There  were  sev- 
eral large  easy-chairs,  and  an  old  haircloth  sofa 
there  were  small  tables,  and  bookcases,  and  a. 
cabinet  filled  with  bric-a-brac,  but, — and  Patty 
could  scarcely  believe  her  eyes, — there  was  no 
bed! 


Home-Made  Music  153 

When  this  fact  dawned  upon  her,  she  con- 
cluded that  one  of  the  bookcases  or  bureaus 
must  be  a  folding-bed. 

She  tried  to  open  them,  but  the  bureau-draw- 
ers and  the  bookcase-shelves  proved  themselves 
to  be  really  what  they  seemed;  then  she  looked 
for  a  bed  concealed  in  an  alcove  or  an  ante- 
room, but  the  curtains  hid  only  windows  and 
the  doors  opened  into  ordinary  closets. 

Patty  even  looked  in  the  fireplace  and  up  the 
chimney,  but  she  was  gradually  forced  to  the 
conclusion  that  there  was  no  bed  at  her  disposal, 
and  that  she  must  either  report  this  fact  to  some 
member  of  the  family  or  sit  up  all  night. 

As  it  was  now  late  she  hesitated  to  trouble 
anybody  about  the  matter,  and  thought  she 
would  rather  manage  without  a  bed. 

She  did  think  of  asking  Bumble  to  let  her 
share  her  room,  but  she  didn't  know  where  her 
cousin's  room  was,  and  too,  there  might  be  only 
a  single  bed  in  it.  So  Patty  decided  to  try  the 
old  sofa. 

As  she  had  no  pillow  or  bed-clothing,  she 
rolled  up  a  dress  to  put  under  her  head  and 
pinned  two  skirts  together  for  a  coverlet. 


154  Patty   Fairfield 

But  the  old  haircloth  scratched  her  bare  feet, 
and  poor  Patty  soon  jumped  up  and  sought  an- 
other resting-place. 

She  cuddled  up  in  a  big  armchair  which  was 
soft  and  warm,  and  there  she  soon  fell  asleep. 
But  later,  she  awoke,  so  stiff  from  her  cramped 
position,  that  she  could  scarcely  move.  So  then 
she  lay  down  on  the  floor  and  slept  there  the 
rest  of  the  night. 

Next  morning  she  dressed  herself  and  went 
down-stairs  at  about  eight  o'clock,  but  nobody 
tyas  in  sight,  so  Patty  went  out  on  the  veranda 
and  watched  the  waves  as  they  came  rolling  and 
tumbling  up  on  the  beach. 

Then,  with  a  view  to  exploring  her  new  home, 
Jhe  walked  round  the  house. 

This  brought  her  to  the  kitchen,  and  through 
the  window  she  saw  a  fat  old  black  woman  raking 
Vigorously  at  the  range. 

"  Dis  yer  stove  '11  make  me  lose  my  'ligion," 
Patty  heard  her  murmur,  and  she  felt  sure  she 
tvas  listening  to  old  Hopalong.  "  Good-morning, 
Hopalong,"  she  cried. 

« 'Mawnin',  missy ;  an'  who  be  you  ?  " 


Home-Made  Music  155 

•'  I'm  Patty  Fairfield,  and  I'm  Mrs.  Barlow's 
niece,  and  I've  come  to  stay  all  summer." 

"  Dat's  good.  I  see  you'se  a  nice,  pretty- 
behaved  little  lady.  Any  ob  de  fam'ly  'round yit?  " 

"  No,  I  haven't  seen  anybody." 

"  Well,  yere  comes  Massa  Ted;  now  I  mus' 
jes'  be  spry  'bout  gettin'  my  co'n  brade  done." 

Hopalong  shuffled  away,  and  Patty  turned  to 
see  Uncle  Ted  coming  towards  her. 

"  Hello,  Patty-girl,"  he  cried,  "  you're  up  be 
times." 

"  Yes,"  said  Patty,  "  and  so  are  you.  Oh, 
Uncle  Teddy,  isn't  the  sea  gorgeous  ?  I  do  love 
it  so,  and  I'm  so  glad  I'm  here  ! " 

"  That's  good,  little  one  ;  I'm  glad  you're  glad. 
And  now  come  to  breakfast." 

Aunt  Grace  had  been  carried  down-stairs  by 
her  husband  and  son,  and  was  already  in  her 
place  at  the  table. 

She  called  Patty  to  her  and  kissed  her  affec- 
tionately, and  asked  her  if  she  slept  well.  Patty 
hesitated  a  moment,  then  breaking  into  a  merry 
laugh,  she  said : 

"  Why,  Auntie  Grace,  I  didn't  sleep  very  well, 
for  I  hadn't  any  bed." 


156  Patty   Fairfield 

"  What  ? "  exclaimed  her  aunt,  in  horror, 
"  why,  Patty,  I  ordered  a  little  brass  bed  sent 
from  Philadelphia  purposely  for  you,  and  it  ar- 
rived yesterday  morning.  I  told  Dil  to  put  it  up 
in  your  room,  and  I  told  Eunice  to  see  that  it 
was  properly  made.  But  I  confess  I  did  forget 
to  ask  if  my  orders  had  been  carried  out,  and, — 
I  suppose  they  weren't.  You  poor  child !  How 
did  you  manage  ?  Why  didn't  you  tell  us  ?" 

"Well,  I  didn't  notice  it  until  quite  late," 
said  Patty.  "  I  was  so  busy  putting  my  clothes 
and  things  away,  that  I  never  thought  of  any- 
thing else  at  the  time.  And,  anyway,  I  didn't 
mind  for  one  night." 

Just  then  Bumble  came  in,  and  when  she 
heard  about  Patty's  experience  she  looked  as- 
tounded. «  Why,"  said  she,  "  I  took  Patty  to 
her  room  myself,  and  I  never  noticed  that  there 
was  no  bed  there  ! " 

"  You're  a  rattle-pated  goosey,"  said  her  father: 
"  but  never  mind,  Patty,  you  shall  have  two  beds 
to-night  to  make  up  for  it, — I'll  promise  you 
that." 

"  Don't  believe  him,"  cried  Nan,  gayly,  as  she 
ran  into  the  dining-room.  "  I  don't  know  what 


Home-Made  Music  157 

Uncle  Ted  is  saying  to  you, — -but  he  won't  do  it. 
He  never  kept  a  promise  in  his  life !  " 

" '  Oh,  promise  me,'  "  began  Uncle  Ted,  and 
then  they  all  joined  in  and  sang : 

"  Oh,  promise  me  that  some  day  you  and  I 
Will  take  a  piece  of  huckleberry  pie, 
Some  deviled  eggs  and  strawberry  ice  cream, 
And  have  a  picnic  down  by  yonder  stream. 
And  then  we'll  wander  through  the  fields  afar. 
And  take  a  ride  upon  a  trolley  car ; 
But  we'll  come  home  again  in  time  for  tea,— • 
Oh,  promise  me — oh,  promise  me-e-e —  " 

The  last  refrain  rang  out  with  a  prolonged 
wail  that  seemed  to  Patty  the  funniest  thing  she 
had  ever  heard,  and  she  fairly  shouted  with 
laughter. 

"  Oh,  dear,  you  are  the  funniest  family,"  she 
exclaimed ;  "  I  think  I  shall  stay  here  six  months 
instead  of  three." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

A   FUNNY   FAMILY 

PATTY  was  right  when  she  called  the  Barlows 
a  funny  family,  for  their  spirits  were  irrepressible, 
and  each  day,  from  morning  till  night  was  filled 
with  jokes  and  absurdities  accompanied  or  fol- 
lowed by  gales  of  laughter. 

But  they  were  heedless,  forgetful  people,  and 
the  whole  household  showed  an  utter  lack  of 
systematic  management. 

Nothing  was  ever  to  be  found  in  its  place ; 
meals  were  served  at  any  hour  when  old  Hop- 
along  got  them  ready.  Sometimes  the  market 
orders  were  neglected  and  there  was  almost 
nothing  to  eat,  and  then  again  there  was  such  ar, 
overstock  that  much  had  to  be  wasted.  The 
children  were  allowed  to  do  exactly  as  they 
chose,  and  were  never  reproved  ;  but  if  their  own 
mischief  led  them  into  misfortune,  or  their  pranks 
turned  out  disastrously,  they  were  expected  to 
stand  the  consequences  bravely,  and  look  fat 
little  or  no  sympathy  from  their  elders. 
158 


A  Funny  Family  159 

Patty  had  not  been  at  the  Hurly-Burly  many 
days  before  she  discovered  that  its  proportion  of 
order  and  regularity  was  entirely  too  small.  To 
be  sure,  in  the  Fleming  family  it  had  been  too 
large  ;  but  she  thought  there  must  be  a  happy 
medium,  a  state  of  things  whereby  one  could  ex- 
pect the  ordinary  events  of  daily  life  to  come  in 
due  course,  without,  however,  living  as  if  by 
clockwork.  You  see  Patty  was  becoming  a 
very  wise  little  girl,  for  she  was  profiting  by  her 
varied  experiences,  and  trying  to  learn  the  best 
way  to  take  care  of  her  father's  house  and  make 
it  a  real  home  for  him.  Sometimes  she  felt  this 
responsibility  very  greatly,  and  longed  for  some 
motherly,  housewifely  friend  to  talk  with  about  it. 

But  Aunt  Grace,  though  loving  and  affection- 
ate, was  no  help  in  such  matters. 

"  Nonsense,  child,"  she  would  say,  "  don't 
worry  about  your  housekeeping ;  why,  the  house 
will  keep  itself,  if  you  let  it  alone.  And  you're 
too  young  to  be  bothered  with  a  weight  of 
domestic  care,  anyway.  Now  run  off  and  play 
with  Bob  and  Bumble.  Go  for  a  row  or  a  drive 
and  let  the  breeze  blow  all  such  worries  out  oi 
your  little  noddle." 


i6o  Patty   Fairficld 

So  Patty  ran  away  and  played  with  her  cousins, 
and  they  did  have  jolly  good  times. 

There  were  so  many  nice  things  to  do ;  fishing, 
sailing,  bathing,  boating,  driving,  golf,  tennis, 
and  all  sorts  of  outdoor  amusements  were  at 
their  disposal. 

The  Barlow  twins,  Nan  Allen  and  Patty  made 
a  gay  quartette,  and  if  they  desired  a  larger  party, 
there  were  plenty  of  neighbors  ready  to  join 
in  their  fun. 

One  warm  afternoon,  Patty  and  Bumble  sat  in 
a  hammock  swung  under  the  trees,  while  Bob 
sprawled  on  the  grass  near  them. 

"  Girls,"  said  he,  "  come  on,  let's  go  for  a 
swim.  The  Smiths  and  the  Enfields  just  went 
down  towards  the  bath-houses,  and  there'll  be  a 
jolly  crowd  in  the  water." 

"All  right,  let's  go,"  replied  his  sister. 
"Where's  Nan?" 

"  She's  in  the  house  somewhere,"  said  Patty. 
«  I'll  go  find  her." 

Patty  ran  into  the  house  and  looked  in  at  the 
music-room  door,  as  a  beginning  of  her  search, 
but  there  she  saw  such  a  startling  sight  that  she 
stood  spellbound,  unable  to  go  any  further. 


A  Funny  Family  161 

At  the  writing-desk  sat  a  person  whose  head 
was  entirely  bald.  Not  a  spear  of  hair  was  any- 
where visible  on  the  bare,  pinky-white  scalp,  and 
the  round  head  was  smooth  and  shiny  as  a  bil- 
liard-ball. 

Then  the  head  turned  round  and  faced  Patty, 
with  rolling  eyes  and  a  weird  grimace.  But 
Patty  looked  so  astounded  and  frightened  that 
the  face  broke  into  a  reassuring  smile,  and  Nan's 
voice  said : 

"  Why,  Patty,  don't  be  scared ;  it's  only  I. 
Didn't  you  know  I  wore  a  wig  ?  There  it  is,  on 
that  chair." 

And  sure  enough,  there  was  Nan's  mop  of 
frizzed,  flaxen  hair  hanging  on  a  chair-back. 

"  But,"  said  Patty,  coming  nearer,  and  still  un- 
able quite  to  comprehend  it  all,  "  why  don't 
you  have  any  hair  yourself?  " 

"  Well,  you  see,"  said  Nan,  as  she  sealed  and 
addressed  the  letter  she  had  been  writing,  "I 
had  typhoid  fever  just  before  I  left  home,  and  my 
hair  came  out  so,  that  I  had  to  have  it  all  shaved 
off.  So  now  I  am  wearing  a  wig  until  it  grows 
again.  But  it  is  so  warm  to-day,  I  took  my  wig 
«ff  for  a  few  moments  to  rest  my  head." 


|62  Patty   Fairfield 

Patty  examined  the  wig  with  great  interest. 

"  I  thmk  it's  wonderful,"  she  said,  "  is  it  just 
like  your  own  hair  was  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed,  I  wanted  a  change.  My  own 
hair  is  very  dark,  almost  black,  and  perfectly 
straight.  So  I  bought  this  Flaxie  Frizzle  wig 
for  a  change.  It's  becoming,  don't  you  think 
GO  ?  t  have  a  red  wig  too, — of  short,  curly  auburn 
hair.  Sometimes  I  wear  that." 

Patty  watched  Nan  curiously,  as  she  put  the 
wig  on,  securing  it  to  her  head  by  invisible 
springs. 

"  I  never  saw  anybody  with  a  wig  before,"  she 
said,  "  and  it  surprises  me  so ;  but  I  came  to  ask 
you  to  go  swimming  with  us." 

"  Can't  do  it,"  said  Nan ;  "  I  have  two  more 
letters  to  write,  and  then  I'm  going  driving  with 
the  Perrys.  They're  to  call  for  me  at  four 
o'clock,  and  it's  after  three  now.  You'll  have  to 
go  without  me  this  time." 

"All  right,"  said  Patty,  backing  out  of  the 
room,  for  her  eyes  were  still  fixed  on  the  won' 
derful  wig. 

Then  she  rejoined  her  cousins,  and  they  all  ran 
to  the  bath-houses. 


A  Funny  Family  163 

They  had  a  fine  bath,  and  were  about  ready  to 
come  out  of  the  water  when  Nan  appeared. 

She  was  dressed  in  a  fresh  white  pique  suit, 
with  blue  ribbons  at  her  throat  and  belt,  and  was 
looking  very  pretty  but  decidedly  disappointed. 

She  walked  out  to  the  end  of  the  narrow 
wooden  pier,  and  the  swimmers  came  up  to  talk 
to  her. 

Patty  didn't  swim  very  well  as  yet,  but  she  was 
learning,  and  Uncle  Ted  and  Bob  said  she  was 
getting  along  finely. 

"  I  thought  you  were  going  out  with  the 
Perrys,"  cried  Bumble. 

"  I  was,  — "  said  Nan,  "  but  they  didn't 
come.  I've  been  dressed  and  waiting  for  them 
half  an  hour,  then  I  looked  again  at  the  note  they 
sent  me,  and  I  made  a  mistake ;  it's  to-morrow 
they  asked  me  to  go.  So  I  came  down  here, 
and  I  wish  I  was  in  the  water  with  you." 

"  Come  on  in,"  said  Bob. 

"  Too  much  trouble  to  get  into  my  bathing 
suit." 

"  Don't  do  it,"  said  Bumble ;  "  we're  coming 
out  now,  anyway.  But  the  water  is  fine,  to- 
day, isn't  it,  Patty?" 


164  Patty   Fairfield 

"  Glorious  ! "  gurgled  Patty,  as  she  floundered 
about  in  her  frantic  endeavors  to  swim.  Sud- 
denly, Nan  snatched  off  her  wig,  and  dropped  it 
down  on  the  dock. 

Then  with  dramatic  gestures,  she  wrung  her 
hands,  waved  them  above  her  head,  and  cried 
out  in  agonized  tones  : 

"  I  am  desperate  !  No  longer  can  I  bear  this 
sad  and  weary  life.  I  will  end  it!  "  Apparently 
in  the  last  stages  of  despair,  she  strode  to  the  end 
of  the  dock,  and  threw  herself  headlong  into  the 
water. 

Patty  was  aghast,  but  Bob  and  Bumble  were 
accustomed  to  Nan's  mad  tricks,  and  they 
shouted  with  laughter. 

In  a  moment  the  bald  head  reappeared  above 
the  water,  for  Nan  could  dive  and  swim  wonder- 
fully well. 

"  I'm  afraid  my  dress  will  get  wet,"  she  said, 
"  but  when  I  saw  you  all  having  such  fun,  I  just 
couldn't  help  jumping  in." 

"  Crazy  Nan,"  said  Bumble,  "  you've  spoiled 
your  clean  dress,  and  you  can't  swim  with  your 
shoes  on,  anyway,  can  you  ?  " 

"  Not  very  well,"  said  Nan,  regretfully,  •  and 


A  Funny  Family  165 

they're  my  best  shoes,  too.  But  I  don't  care ;  I'll 
get  a  bath  and  have  some  fun." 

Later  on,  the  four  young  people,  much  re- 
freshed and  exhilarated,  assembled  in  the  music- 
.  oom  to  wait  for  dinner. 

Aunt  Grace,  whose  sprained  ankle  was  getting 
better,  and  who  could  now  limp  around  with  the 
aid  of  a  crutch,  was  there  too. 

"  Geranium  Blossom  !  but  I'm  hungry,  "  ex- 
claimed Bob.  "  Mumsey,  do  you  s'pose  we're 
going  to  have  any  dinner  to-night?" 

"  I  think  so,  my  boy,"  returned  Mrs.  Barlow, 
placidly,  "  but  go  and  get  a  biscuit  if  you'd  like 
one." 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,"  said  Nan,  "  let's  have  tea 
while  we  wait.  There'll  be  plenty  of  time,  for 
Eunice  has  just  begun  to  lay  the  table  for  dinner." 

"  All  right,"  said  Bumble.  "  Patty,  if  you'll 
get  the  hot  water,  I'll  cut  up  a  lemon." 

"  But  there  aren't  any  lemons,"  said  hei 
Tiother.  "  I  looked  for  one  to-day,  and  they're 
all  out." 

"  There  aren't  any  biscuits,  either,"  said  Bob» 
coming  back  from  a  fruitless  quest ;  "  the  box  is 
empty." 


166  Patty   Fairfield 

M  And  there  doesn't  seem  to  be  any  sugar," 
said  Nan,  peering  into  the  sugar-bowl  on  the 
tea-table. 

"  Well,  I'll  tell  you  what,"  said  Bumble,  "  let's 
pretend  to  have  tea.  You  know  some  people 
say,  if  you  think  you  have  anything,  you  have  it." 

"  All  right,"  said  Patty,  who  dearly  loved  to  * 
pretend,  "  I'll  make  the  tea." 

So  she  pretended  to  measure  out  some  tea 
from  the  caddy,,  and  put  it  in  the  teapot.  Then 
she  poured  imaginary  water  from  the  teakettle 
upon  it,  and  covered  the  teapot  tightly  with  the 
cosey.  After  allowing  it  a  little  time  to  "  draw," 
she  pretended  to  pour  it  into  cups,  in  which 
Bumble  had  already  placed  imaginary  sugar- 
lumps  and  bits  of  lemon. 

Bob  offered  his  services  as  waiter,  and  passed 
the  cups  to  his  mother  and  Nan,  and  also  to 
imaginary  guests,  who,  he  pretended,  were  sit- 
ting on  the  chairs  and  sofa. 

"  This  tea  is  delicious,"  said  Aunt  Grace,  stir' 
ring  in  her  empty  cup,  and  sipping  from  her 
empty  spoon. 

"  Yes,"  said  Patty,  "  it  is  real  Russian  tea 
PO  have  some  more,  won't  you  ?  " 


A  Funny  Family  ibf 

"  Indeed,  I  will,"  said  Aunt  Grace,  and  Patty 
poured  her  another  empty  cupful. 

"  Pass  the  biscuit,  Bumble,"  said  Bob,  and  his 
sister  carried  around  the  empty  biscuit-jar,  while 
the  guests  helped  themselves  to  nothing. 

Uncle  Ted  came  in  in  the  midst  of  the  tea 
joke,  and  drank  several  cups  of  air,  until  Patty 
finally  peeped  into  the  teapot,  and  said,  "  You'll 
all  have  to  stop,  for  there  isn't  any  tea  left." 

Bob  carried  the  cups  back  to  the  tea-table, 
and  all  declared  they  had  had  a  very  nice  tea- 
party. 

"  But  why  don't  you  have  a  tea-party,  girls  ?  " 
said  Uncle  Ted, "  a  real  one,  I  mean.  Invite  all 
the  neighbors  and  have  a  nice  spread.  I'll  dec- 
orate a  bit  with  Japanese  lanterns,  and  we'll 
make  it  a  general  festivity." 

"  Oh,  lovely !  "  cried  Bumble,  "  if  mamma  is 
well  enough  to  stand  the  excitement." 

"  Aunt  Grace  needn't  have  any  of  the  trouble," 
said  Nan.  "  I'll  order  things,  and  help  get  the 
house  ready.  We  girls  will  do  all  the  work,  and 
Aunt  Grace  can  just  be  an  invited  guest." 

"  Let's  make  it  a  lawn-party,"  said  Bob,  "  and 
ve'll  have  supper  served  in  a  tent." 


i68  Patty   Fairfield 

"  Let  me  see,"  said  Uncle  Ted,  "  to-day  is 
Monday.  There's  no  use  waiting  too  long,  and 
the  moon  is  nearly  at  its  full  now.  Suppose  we 
have  the  party  on  Thursday ;  can  you  all  be 
ready  by  that  time  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Nan,  "  there's  nothing  much  to 
do.  Let's  write  the  invitations  to-night." 

So  during  dinner,  which  was  finally  announced, 
they  completed  their  plans  for  a  garden-party 
from  five  o'clock  to  ten  Thursday  evening ; 
and  after  dinner  Nan  wrote  the  invitations, 
and  Patty  addressed  them,  while  the  rest  dis- 
cussed and  decided  who  should  be  invited  to  the 
party. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  LAWN-PARTY 

THE  next  day  Patty  announced  her  willingness 
to  do  anything  she  could  to  assist  in  the  prepa- 
rations for  the  lawn-party;  and  Aunt  Grace 
kissed  her  fondly,  and  said  she  was  a  dear  little 
helper,  and  they  would  be  only  too  glad  to  make 
use  of  her  services. 

But  the  day  passed  by  and  nothing  was  done. 
Everybody  went  for  a  swim  in  the  morning, 
and  in  the  afternoon  Nan  went  driving,  and 
Patty  and  the  twins  were  invited  to  a  neighbor's 
to  play  tennis.  Then  in  the  evening  they  all 
went  for  a  moonlight  sail. 

After  they  returned,  Patty  ventured  to  remind 
her  procrastinating  relatives  that  there  was  very 
little  time  left  in  which  to  prepare  for  the  various 
entertainments  they  had  suggested. 

"Jumping  grasshoppers!"  exclaimed  Bob, 
whose  expletives  were  often  of  his  own  inven- 
tion, "  I  meant  to  set  old  Dil  at  work  to-day, 


ijo  Patty   Fairfield 

clearing  a,  place  for  a  tent.  Dad,  we  must  go 
over  to  the  city  to-morrow,  and  get  a  tent,  and 
some  lanterns  and  flags.  We  want  to  make  the 
place  look  gay  and  festive." 

"  Yes,  we'll  go,"  said  his  father,  heartily,  "  and 
the  girls  can  go  with  us,  if  they  like." 

"  We  do  like,"  cried  Bumble,  "  and  after  we 
buy  the  things,  won't  you  take  us  to  the  Zoo,  to 
see  the  baby  hippopotamus  ?  " 

"  But,"  said  Patty,  "  I  think  we  ought  to  stay 
at  home  and  help  Aunt  Grace." 

"  No,  no,"  said  her  aunt,  "  there's  nothing 
much  to  do  ;  I'll  get  somebody  in  to  help  Hopa- 
long  make  cakes  and  jellies,  and  we  can  leave 
the  house  decorations  until  Thursday." 

"  Yes,  that  will  be  best,"  said  Nan, "  for  to- 
morrow I'm  going  over  to  Montauk  Point  for 
the  day,  but  I'll  help  all  day  Thursday." 

"  We'll  all  work  with  more  enthusiasm  when 
the  day  of  the  party  comes,"  said  Aunt  Grace, 
"  and  now  run  along  to  bed,  all  of  you." 

Next  day  the  family  rose  late,  and  breakfast 
was  much  later,  so  that  it  was  noon  before  they 
started  for  New  York. 

Then  Bob  proposed  that  they  go  to  the  Zoo 


The  Lawn-Party  171 

first,  and  do  the  shopping  afterwards.  This  they 
did,  and  the  result  was,  that,  as  the  animals  were 
so  interesting,  after  they  had  seen  them  all  it 
was  too  late  to  go  to  the  shops. 

"  Whew !  I'd  no  idea  it  was  so  late,"  said 
Uncle  Ted,  looking  at  his  watch ;  "  but  never 
mind.  We'll  go  home  now,  and  I'll  telegraph 
early  in  the  morning,  and  the  tent  and  lanterns 
can  be  sent  over  at  once,  and  we  can  easily  get 
them  put  up  in  time." 

When  they  reached  home  they  found  Aunt 
Grace  entertaining  some  friends  who  had  come 
to  spend  the  day.  They  were  delightful  people, 
and  Aunt  Grace  had  found  them  so  absorbing 
that  she  had  entirely  forgotten  to  send  for  an 
assistant  to  prepare  dainties  for  the  party. 

But  nobody  seemed  to  mind,  and  Patty  con- 
cluded it  was  not  her  place  to  comment  on  the 
way  things  were  going,  at  least,  not  to  the  Hurly- 
Burly  people  themselves. 

But  when  she  wrote  that  night  to  her  father, 
she  said  : 

"  I'm  glad  you  didn't  describe  my  aunts  to  me, 
but  let  me  discover  their  traits  for  myself.  For, 
really,  I  never  would  have  believed  a  family 


172  Patty   Fairfield 

could  act  like  the  Barlows.  They  are  out  of  pro- 
portion every  way,  but,  after  all,  I  can't  help  lov- 
ing them,  for  they  are  such  dear,  kind  people, 
and  they  mean  to  do  right,  only  they  never  do 
anything." 

But  as  the  next  day  was  Thursday,  and  some 
things  had  to  be  done,  everybody  began  to  hus- 
tle and  bustle  and  fly  around  generally. 

Uncle  Ted  sent  to  New  York  by  a  special 
messenger  for  a  tent,  and  a  lot  of  lanterns  and 
gay  bunting,  and  succeeded  in  getting  them  soon 
after  noon.  Then  he  and  Bob  and  old  Dil  put 
the  tent  up,  and  hung  the  lanterns  along  the 
veranda  and  among  the  trees. 

Nan  drove  all  around  the  country  trying  to 
find  a  cook  to  assist  Hopalong,  but  as  none  was 
to  be  found,  Aunt  Grace  had  to  go  down  to  the 
kitchen  and  make  some  of  the  cakes  herself. 

Nan  and  Bumble  made  sandwiches  and 
squeezed  lemons,  and  somehow  the  time  slipped 
away  until  it  was  four  o'clock,  and  the  house  was 
not  yet  decorated  and  the  ice  cream  hadn't  ar- 
rived from  New  York.  "  Nan,  you  and  Patty 
fix  the  flowers,  and  I'll  take  the  trap  and  fly 
down  to  the  station  and  see  if  the  ice  cream 


The  Lawn-Party  173 

isn't  there,"  said  Bumble,  who  was  very  warm 
and  tired,  but  who  kindly  offered  to  do  the  most 
unpleasant  errand. 

"  All  right,"  said  Nan,  and  Bumble  drove  off 
in  a  hurry.  That  morning  the  girls  had  gathered 
a  quantity  of  wild  flowers  and  vines  for  decora- 
tions, and  Bumble  said  she  had  put  them  in 
water,  but  nobody  knew  where.  So  they  hunted 
in  every  place  they  could  think  of,  but  to  no 
avail.  Bob  helped  them  and  they  searched  the 
kitchen,  the  cellar,  and  even  the  barn,  but  no 
flowers  could  they  find.  So,  as  it  was  nearly  five 
o'clock  they  gave  it  up  and  ran  up-stairs  to  dress 
for  the  party. 

And  then  Patty  discovered  that  the  bath  tub 
was  filled  with  the  missing  flowers.  At  risk  of 
being  caught  by  the  guests  in  their  every-day 
attire,  Nan  and  Patty  flew  down-stairs  and  hastily 
arranged  the  flowers  as  well  as  they  could,  and 
then  returned  to  make  their  toilettes. 

It  was  now  after  five,  but  fortunately  no 
guests  had  yet  arrived. 

"  Nobody  will  come  before  half-past  five,  any- 
way," said  Nan,  as  they  hastily  scrambled  into 
their  frocks. 


174  Patty   Fairficld 

"  They  may,"  replied  Patty,  "  there  comes 
somebody  now  ;  oh,  it's  Bumble." 

Bumble  came  in,  panting  and  breathless. 

"  I  had  to  bring  the  ice  cream  home  with  me," 
she  said ;  "  there  was  no  one  else  to  bring  it 
from  the  station.  Wasn't  it  lucky  I  went 
pver  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  Patty,  "  and  now,  Bumble 
dear,  rest  yourself  a  little.  Nan  and  I  will  re- 
ceive the  guests.  Aunt  Grace  is  still  in  the 
kitchen." 

"  Yes,"  said  Bumble,  "  but  the  table  isn't  set 
yet.  We  ought  to  get  out  the  plates  and  things. 
Eunice  is  frosting  cakes,  and  she  can't  do  it." 

"  Well,  I  can  do  it  now,"  said  Patty.  "  I'm  all 
ready,  if  you'll  just  tie  my  sash.  Nobody  is 
here  yet,  so  I  may  have  a  few  minutes  at  least." 

But  when  Patty  reached  the  dining-room  the 
scene  was  appalling.  In  the  hurry,  nobody  had 
found  time  to  clear  away  the  luncheon  dishes, 
and  the  extension  table  must  be  made  longer 
sand  really  there  was  an  hour's  work  there  foi 
somebody. 

Patty  called  Bob  to  help  her,  as  everybody 
else  ^'3s  so  busy,  and  the  good-natured  boy  left 


The  Lawn-Party  175 

what  he  was  doing  and  came  to  his  cousin's 
assistance. 

It  was  six  o'clock  before  everything  was  in 
readiness  and  the  family  gathered  on  the  veranda 
to  rest  themselves  and  await  their  guests. 

"  Seems  to  me  they're  getting  pretty  fashion- 
able," said  Bob ;  "  it's  an  hour  after  the  time  set, 
and  nobody's  here  yet." 

"  Well,  it's  a  warm  day,"  said  Aunt  Grace, 
fanning  herself,  "  and  nobody  likes  to  start  out 
early  in  the  afternoon."  But  after  another  half- 
hour  passed  and  still  nobody  came,  they  all 
began  to  think  it  rather  queer. 

"  Perhaps  they've  boycotted  us,"  said  Uncle 
Ted,  "  and  don't  mean  to  come  at  all." 

"  I  should  think  the  Perrys  would  be  here  by 
this  time,"  said  Nan.  "  I  meant  to  speak  to  them 
about  it  yesterday,  and  ask  them  to  be  sure  to 
come  early,  but  I  forgot  it." 

"  Did  we  invite  the  Harlands  ?  "  said  Bob. 

"  I  can't  think  whether  we  did  or  not,"  said 
Bumble.  "  I  know  we  were  undecided  about 
them.  But  we  asked  the  Graysons,  and  here 
they  come  now." 

"  Well,   I'm   glad   somebody's  coming,"  said 


176  Patty   Fairfield 

Nan ;  "  but,  no, — they  aren't  turning  in,  they're 
driving  by  !  " 

"  Sure  enough,"  said  Bob ;  "  mean  old  things, 
— if  they  couldn't  come,  they  might  at  least  have 
sent  regrets." 

"  Here  are  the  Stanton  girls,  anyway,"  said 
Patty,  as  two  young  ladies  came  walking  towards 
them. 

Elsie  and  Mildred  Stanton  came  up  to  the 
group  on  the  veranda  with  a  slightly  embar- 
rassed air. 

"  Good-evening,"  said  Mildred ;  "  you  look  as 
if  you  were  going  to  have  a  lawn-party." 

"  Why,  we  are,"  said  Bumble,  "  if  anybody 
comes  to  it.  I'm  glad  you've  arrived,  anyway. 
Come  in." 

"  But, — we  weren't  invited,"  said  Elsie,  a  little 
stiffly.  "  We  came  over  on  an  errand." 

"  Indeed  you  were  invited,"  said  Bumble, 
warmly.  "  Do  you  suppose  I'd  leave  you  out, 
my  dearest  chums  ?  But  really,  didn't  you  get 
an  invitation  ?  How  funny !  They  were  sent 
out  on  Tuesday." 

"  No,"  said  Elsie,  "  but  if  it  was  a  mistake,  and 
you  meant  to  invite  us,  it's  all  right  But  we 


The  Lawn-Party  177 

didn't  know  it,  you  see,  so  we're  not  in  party 
frocks.  As  nobody  else  is  here  yet,  I  think  we'll 
run  home  and  dress  up  a  bit,  and  then  come 
back  again." 

"  All  right,"  said  Bumble,  knowing  her  guests 
would  feel  more  comfortable  if  suitably  dressed, 
— and  they  lived  near  by.  "  Skip  along,  girls, 
and  hurry  back." 

After  they  had  gone  it  was  nearly  seven 
o'clock,  and  nobody  else  appeared.  Great  con- 
sternation was  felt  by  all,  and  suddenly  Patty 
said,  "  Who  mailed  those  invitations  ?  " 

"  Bumble  did,"  said  Bob. 

"  No,  I  didn't,"  said  Bumble,  "  I  thought  you 
attended  to  it.  Why,  Bob,  I  asked  you  par- 
ticularly to  look  after  them." 

"  I  didn't  hear  you,"  said  Bob ;  "  do  you  sup- 
pose — —" 

But  Patty  had  already  run  into  the  house  and 
returned  with  her  hands  full  of  the  invitations  to 
the  party. 

"  Oh,"  groaned  everybody,  quite  overcome  by 
the  calamity. 

Nan  was  the  first  to  recover  herself. 

"  There's  only  one  thing  to  do,"  she  said ;  "  we 


lj8  Patty   Fairficld 

riiust  go  around  and  pick  up  as  many  guests  as 
we  can  in  a  hurry.  It  won't  do  to  let  all  this 
flice  garden-party  go  to  waste.  Bob  and  I  will 
take  the  runabout,  and  Bumble,  you  and  Patty 
can  take  the  trap,  and  we'll  scour  the  country  as 
Car  as  possible." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  two  turnouts  dashed  away 
in  opposite  directions,  and  all  the  near-by  neigh- 
bors were  bidden  to  come  to  the  garden-party  at 
once. 

Much  laughter  and  fun  was  caused  by  the 
sudden  and  peremptory  invitations,  which  were, 
for  the  most  part,  gladly  accepted. 

When  the  guests  finally  arrived,  the  party  was 
a  grand  success,  though  of  much  smaller  pro- 
portions than  was  originally  intended.  The 
gayly-lighted  veranda  was  a  fine  place  for  dan- 
cing and  games,  and  supper,  served  in  the  tent, 
was  very  novel  and  attractive. 

As  Nan  said,  after  the  party  was  over, "  It  was 
just  perfect,  except  that  we  couldn't  invite  the 
ones  that  lived  at  any  distance." 

But  Uncle  Ted  said,  "  Never  mind,  we'll  have 
another  party,  and  invite  them ;  and  I'll  see  to 
mailing  the  invitations  myself." 


The  Lawn-Party  179 

"Oh,  ho,"  laughed  Nan,  "then  we  needn't 
even  get  ready  for  the  party,  for  you'll  never  re- 
member to  post  them." 

At  which  Uncle  Ted  called  her  a  saucy  minxf 
and  sent  them  all  to  bed. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

UNBOUNDED   HOSPITALITY 

ALTHOUGH  life  at  the  Hurly-Burly  was  full  <x  -: 
irritating  incidents  and  even  serious  disappoint- 
ments which  were  caused  by  the  general  forget- 
fulness  and  careless  habits  of  the  family,  yet 
there  were  also  many  pleasures,  and  Patty  en- 
joyed the  summer  very  much  and  became  warmly 
attached  to  her  happy-go-lucky  relatives. 

Uncle  Ted  was  kindness  itself,  and  Aunt  Grace 
was  very  loving  and  affectionate  towards  her 
motherless  niece.  Bob  and  Bumble  were  trumps, 
and  Nan  was  so  irresistibly  funny  that  she  made 
merry  jokes  of  what  would  otherwise  have  been 
real  troubles. 

The  days  flew  by  and  Patty  thought  she  had 
never  known  a  summer  to  pass  so  rapidly. 

She  almost  lived  out  of  doors,  for  Uncle  Ted 
said  he  was  determined  to  transform  the  little 
Boston  bluestocking  into  a  wild  Indian ;  and 
so  Patty  had  become  browned  by  the  sun,  anr' 


Unbounded  Hospitality  181 

her  rowing  and  swimming  had  dev  sloped  a  fine 
amount  of  muscle.  But  as  we  are  always  more 
or  less  influenced  by  the  character  of  those  about 
us,  Patty  had  also  imbibed  much  of  the  spirit  of 
the  Hurly-Burly  family  and  lived  as  if  the 
pleasure  of  the  present  moment  were  the  only 
thing  to  be  considered. 

"  Be  careful,  my  Patty,"  her  father  wrote  to 
her,  "  you  do  not  send  me  letters  as  regularly  as 
you  used  to,  and  what  you  tell  me  sometimes 
sounds  as  if  you  thought  it  no  harm  to  break 
a  promise  or  to  fail  to  keep  an  engagement 
you  have  made.  You  know  I  want  you  to 
learn  by  your  experiences,  and  imitate  only 
the  best  qualities  of  those  about  you.  I'm  not 
going  to  have  my  house  run  on  any  Hurly- 
Burly  plan,  Miss  Pattikins,  so  if  you  expect  to 
secure  the  position  of  housekeeper,  you  must  be 
prepared  to  keep  things  right  up  to  the  mark. 
We  will  have  an  exact  proportion  of  methodical 
regularity,  without  having  so  much  of  it  that 
,it  will  be  a  bugbear.  Oh,  I  tell  you,  my  lady, 
our  home  is  going  to  be  a  veritable  Paradise 
on  earth,  and  I  am  impatient  to  get  it  started. 
You  have  only  one  more  visit  to  make,  and  then 


182  Patty   Fairfield 

I  will  come  and  kidnap  my  own  daughter  and 
carry  her  off  with  me  for  a  Christmas  present" 

"  What  a  dear,  wise  father  I've  got,"  mused 
Patty,  after  reading  this  letter,  "and  how  he 
understands  everything,  even  without  my  telling 
him.  I  will  try  not  to  grow  heedless  i»nd  rattle- 
pated,  though  it's  hard  to  be  any  other  way  in 
this  house." 

One  morning  in  August,  Mrs.  Barlow  said  to 
her  husband,  "  Ted,  you  know  the  Carletons  are 
coming  this  afternoon  to  stay  several  days,  and 
I  want  you  to  go  over  to  the  three  o'clock  train 
to  meet  them.  Don't  forget  it,  will  you  ?  And 
you'll  have  to  engage  a  stage  to  bring  them  over, 
for  there'll  be  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carleton  and  four 
children,  and  perhaps  a  nurse.  I  don't  know 
where  we're  going  to  put  them  all  to  sleep,  but 
we  must  stow  them  away  somehow.  Patty, 
would  you  mind  giving  up  your  room  for  a 
time  ?  " 

"  Not  a  bit,  Aunt  Grace.  Put  me  wherever 
you  like." 

"  That's  a  good  girl.  Well,  suppose  you  sleep 
with  Bumble.  She  has  only  a  three-quarter  bed, 
but  if  you  don't  quarrel  you  won't  fall  out." 


Unbounded  Hospitality  183 

"  All  right,"  said  Patty.  "  I'll  move  my  things 
It  once." 

"  Very  well,  my  dear ;  then  we  can  give  your 
room  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carleton,  and  Gertrude 
will  have  to  room  with  Nan,  and  the  other  chil- 
dren must  go  up  in  the  third  story ;  no, — Harry 
can  sleep  with  Bob.  I  declare  I  didn't  think  it 
would  crowd  us  so,  when  I  invited  the  whole 
family.  But  it  will  be  only  for  a  week,  and 
we'll  get  along  somehow." 

"  Many  hands  make  light  work,"  and  with 
much  flurrying  and  scurrying  the  rooms  were 
made  ready  for  the  expected  guests. 

About  noon  the  expressman  came,  bringing 
two  trunks. 

" '  Coming  events  cast  their  shadows  before,'  " 
said  Uncle  Ted ;  "  here  come  the  wardrobes  of 
the  Carleton  family." 

"  They  must  have  sent  them  by  express  yes- 
terday," said  Aunt  Grace ;  "  dear  me,  how  fore- 
handed some  people  are.  I  wish  I  had  been 
born  that  way.  But  when  I  go  anywhere  I 
take  my  trunk  with  me,  and  then  I  always  leave 
it  behind." 

They  all  laughed  at  this  paradoxical  statement, 


184  Patty   Fairfield 

and  Uncle  Ted  said,  "  That's  where  you  differ 
from  an  elephant."  Then  as  the  trunks  were  set 
out  on  the  veranda,  he  exclaimed,  "  Good 
gracious,  my  dear,  these  aren't  the  Carleton's 
trunks.  They're  marked  <  F.  M.  T.,' — both  of 
them." 

" '  F.  M.  T.,'  "  echoed  Mrs.  Barlow,  "  why,  who 
can  that  be?" 

"  The  Carletons  have  borrowed  other  people's 
trunks  to  come  with,"  suggested  Nan. 

"  Not  they,"  returned  Aunt  Grace ;  "  they're 
the  most  particular  people  on  the  face  of  the 
earth.  Why  Kate  Carleton  would  as  soon  think 
of  borrowing  a  house  as  a  trunk.  No,  these  be- 
long to  somebody  else.  And  I  know  who  it  is ! 
It's  Fanny  Todd.  Before  I  left  home  I  asked 
her  to  come  down  here  the  first  week  in  August, 
and  I  never  thought  of  it  again  from  that  day  to 
this.  But  I  should  think  she  would  have  written." 

"  Why,  mamma,"  said  Bumble,  "  there  was  a 
letter  came  for  you  from  Philadelphia  a  day  or 
two  ago.  Didn't  you  get  it  ?  I  saw  it  on  the 
hall  table." 

"  No,  I  didn't  get  it.  Run  and  look  for  it, 
child." 


Unbounded  Hospitality  185 

But  the  letter  couldn't  be  found.  So  Mrs. 
Barlow  assumed  that  it  was  from  her  friend,  Miss 
Todd,  and  concluded  that  that  lady  would  shortly 
arrive. 

"Where  can  we  put  her  to  sleep?"  she 
queried,  "  every  room  is  already  filled." 

"  She  can  have  my  room,"  said  Bob,  "  and 
Harry  Carleton  and  I  will  sleep  out  in  the  tent 
He's  a  good  fellow  and  he  won't  mind." 

"  But  his  mother  will,"  said  Mrs.  Barlow ; 
"  she's  so  fussy  about  such  things.  Still,  I  can't 
see  anything  else  to  do.  If  it  doesn't  rain,  I  sup- 
pose you'll  be  all  right." 

The  Carletons  came  first,  and  Mrs.  Barlow 
welcomed  them  with  a  gracious  hospitality  which 
gave  no  hint  of  the  flurried  turmoil  of  prepara- 
tion that  had  been  going  on  all  day. 

Gertrude  Carleton,  the  eldest  daughter,  was 
one  of  those  spick-and-span  beings  who  look  as 
if  they  ought  always  to  be  kept  in  a  bandbox. 
She  had  a  languishing  die-away  sort  of  air,  and 
after  a  few  moments'  conversation  with  her, 
Bumble  excused  herself  and  slyly  nudged  Patty 
to  come  outside  with  her.  She  took  her  cousin 
up-stairs  and  said,  "  Patsy,  I'm  sure  that  blown- 


1 80  Patty  Fairfield 

glass  girl  won't  like  to  room  with  Nan.  She 
looks  as  if  she  always  had  a  whole  suite  of  rooms 
to  herself,  parlor  and  all.  I  can  imagine  her 
fainting  away  when  Nan  takes  off  her  wig. 
Now,  how  would  it  do  to  give  Miss  Gertrude 
our  room,  and  you  and  I  go  in  with  Nan  ?  I'll 
bunk  on  the  sofa ;  I  don't  mind  a  bit." 

"  Neither  do  I,"  declared  Patty.  "  Yes,  let's 
give  your  room  to  the  Lady  Gertrude,  and 
never  mind  asking  Nan  about  it,  either." 

So  the  girls  changed  things  around  in  short 
order,  and  then  went  down-stairs  and  conducted 
Gertrude  to  her  room. 

Aunt  Grace  gave  a  little  surprised  smile,  but 
with  her  usual  tact,  said  nothing. 

Harry  Carleton  seemed  to  be  a  very  nice  boy, 
and  he  went  off  to  the  tent  with  Bob,  in  great 
glee,  while  the  two  little  Carleton  children  and 
their  nurse  were  installed  in  rooms  on  the  third 
floor. 

Before  the  guests  had  reappeared  down-stairs,  a 
carriage  drove  up  to  the  veranda,  and  a  lady  and 
gentleman  got  out. 

"  Oh,"  thought  Mrs.  Barlow,  as  she  went  to 
greet  them,  "  who  has  Fanny  brought  with  her  ?  " 


Unbounded  Hospitality  187 

"  How  do  you  do,  Grace  ? "  cried  sprightly 
Miss  Todd,  "  I've  come,  you  see,  though  I  didn't 
get  the  telegram  I  asked  you  to  send  me.  And 
I  brought  Mr.  Harris,  as  I  said  I  would.  I 
know  you'll  welcome  him  gladly  after  what  I 
told  you." 

"  Fanny,"  said  Mrs.  Barlow,  deeming  it  best  to 
make  a  clean  breast  of  the  matter, "  I  didn't  get 
your  letter.  At  least,  they  say  it  came,  but 
somehow  it  was  lost  before  I  read  it,  and  it  can't 
be  found.  However,  it  doesn't  matter,  and  I  am 
very  glad  to  welcome  Mr.  Harris  in  any  capac- 
ity." 

"  Then  greet  me  as  Miss  Todd's  future  hus- 
band," said  Mr.  Harris,  smiling,  and  Mrs.  Barlow 
gave  him  a  hearty  welcome  and  congratulations 
at  the  same  time. 

But  Mr.  Harris  was  a  new  problem.  Although 
he  intended  to  remain  only  one  night,  yet  a  room 
must  be  provided  for  him,  and  poor  Mrs.  Barlow 
was  at  her  wits'  end. 

But  it  was  at  her  wits'  end  that  the  good  lady 
oftenest  found  a  way  out  of  her  difficulties,  and 
after  a  glance  into  Mr.  Harris'  merry  blue  eyes, 
she  felt  sure  she  could  ask  him  to  sleep  on  the 


l88  Patty   Fairfield 

couch  in  the  music-room  without  offending  his 
dignity  in  the  least.  And  so  it  turned  out  that 
the  Hurly-Burly  was  filled  with  guests,  and  it 
goes  without  saying  that  they  all  had  a  merry 
time. 

Uncle  Ted  was  in  his  element,  and  he  provided 
fun  for  the  children  and  entertainment  for  the 
older  guests,  until  even  languid  Gertrude  was 
stirred  to  enthusiasm. 

It  was  late  when  they  all  retired,  and  after 
Mrs.  Barlow  had  insured  the  comfort  of  her 
guests  and  her  children,  she  lay  down  to  rest 
and  fell  asleep  at  once. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

A   HURLY-BURLY   FIRE 

ALTHOUGH  Mr.  Harris  had  expressed  himself 
satisfied  with  his  couch  in  the  music-room,  yet 
as  it  was  hard  and  narrow,  his  slumbers  were 
not  very  profound,  and  at  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  he  awoke  from  a  light  doze,  and  be*  an 
to  sniff  in  the  darkness. 

"  I  believe  I  smell  fire,"  he  said  to  himself. 

He  jumped  up  and  ran  into  the  hall,  where  he 
found  the  whole  staircase  was  a  charred  and 
smouldering  mass  ready  to  break  into  flame  at 
any  moment. 

Mr.  Harris  was  a  man  of  quick  action,  but  he 
paused  a  moment  to  consider. 

He  couldn't  go  up  the  stairs,  they  were  ready 
to  give  way  at  a  touch.  He  dared  not  open  the 
front  door,  or,  indeed,  any  door  that  might  create 
a  draught  which  would  fan  the  stairs  into  a 
flame. 

So  he  decided  he  must  rouse  the  sleepers  up- 
189 


190  Patty   Fairfield 

stairs,  and  then  jump  out  of  the  music-rco-ri 
window  and  run  to  the  tent  to  get  the  assistance 
of  the  two  boys  who  were  sleeping  there. 

Being  a  stranger  in  the  house,  he  knew  of  no 
other  stairway,  and  knew  nothing  of  the  servants 
or  where  they  might  be. 

"  Mr.  Barlow, — fire !  Mr.  Barlow !  "  he 
screamed.  "  Fire !  Mr.  Carleton,  Fanny  ! "  but 
no  one  answered. 

At  last  Patty  was  wakened  by  his  voice  and 
ran  out  in  the  upper  hall.  The  draught  of  her 
opening  door  started  the  flames  a  little,  and  when 
she  looked  over  the  banister,  it  was  into  a  well  of 
fire. 

Before  she  could  say  a  word,  Mr.  Harris  called 
up  to  her.  "  Patty,"  he  said, "  keep  your  senses, 
and  help  all  you  can.  I  think  the  fire  is  only  in 
the  staircase,  and  if  so,  we  can  get  everybody 
safely  out  of  their  own  windows.  Tell  this  to 
your  uncle,  and  then  tell  the  others.  I'm  going 
after  Bob." 

Mr.  Harris  disappeared,  and  Patty  bravely  re- 
sisted her  inclination  to  scream  ;  instead,  she  ran 
into  her  uncle's  room  and  shook  him  awake,  say- 
ing, "  Uncle  Ted,  the  stairs  are  all  burnt  up ,  but 


A  Hurly-Burly  Fire  191 

it  doesn't  matter,  you  can  get  out  of  the  win- 
dows." 

Then  she  ran  back  and  wakened  Bumble  and 
Nan,  saying,  "  Girls,  the  house  is  on  fire,  but  let's 
be  real  sensible  and  not  get  burned  up.  Put  on 
your  dressing-gowns,  and  then  we  must  go  and 
tell  the  ethers." 

As  she  talked  Patty  was  slipping  on  her  dress- 
ing-gowu,  and  then  she  caught  up  her  mother's 
picture  and  wrapped  it  in  a  bath-towel,  and  with 
the  little  bundle  in  her  hand  she  ran  back  to  the 
hall  wheve  she  met  Uncle  Ted. 

"  Which  room  are  the  Carletons  in,  Patty  ?  " 
She  told  him,  and  then  Bob  shouted  up  from  be- 
low, "  "W  e've  got  the  old  Babcock  extinguisher, 
dad,  and  we're  making  it  tell  on  the  fire.  Can't 
you  throw  on  some  water  up  there  ?  And  tell 
jtll  the  people  to  go  out  on  the  balconies  and 
we'll  take  'em  down  all  right.  And  I  say,  Patty, 
get  my  camera  out  of  my  room,  will  you  ?  I 
don't  want  anything  to  happen  to  that." 

"All  right,"  said  Patty,  and  she  ran  for  the 
camera.  In  Bob's  room  she  found  Miss  Todd 
just  waking  up. 

«  Get  up,  Miss  Todd,"  she  cried  ;  "  the  house 


192  Patty   Fairfield 

is  on  fire  and  your  Mr.  Harris  is  putting  it  out, 
and  he  says  for  you  to  jump  out  of  the  window." 

"  Oh,"  screamed  Miss  Fanny,  hopping  out  of 
bed  and  rushing  wildly  around  the  room, "  which 
window  ?  " 

"  Any  window,"  said  Patty,  who  was  hunting 
in  the  closet  for  the  camera. 

So  Miss  Todd,  half  unconscious  of  what  she 
was  doing,  but  with  a  blind  intention  of  obeying 
the  orders  of  her  fiance,  climbed  over  a  window 
sill  and  jumped  out. 

As  a  veranda  ran  all  around  the  second-story 
of  the  Hurly-Burly,  she  found  herself  standing 
just  outside  her  window  on  a  very  substantial  bal- 
cony and  feeling  decidedly  chilly  in  the  night  air. 

"  Here  are  some  clothes,"  said  Patty,  grabbing 
up  whatever  came  handy,  and  putting  them  out 
the  window  to  Miss  Todd.  "  Is  there  anything 
you  want  saved  particularly  ?  " 

For  Patty  had  taken  a  pillow-case  from  its 
pillow,  and  in  it  had  placed  the  bundle  contain- 
ing her  mother's  picture,  and  Bob's  camera. 

"  Yes,"  said  Miss  Todd  ;  "  that  book  of 
poems, — it  was  Jim's  first  gift  to  me. — oh.  and 
my  hat." 


A  Hurly-Burly  Fire  193 

«  All  right,"  said  Patty,  and  she  put  the  book 
in  her  pillow-case  bag,  but  the  hat,  being  large 
and  feathery  she  put  on  her  head. 

Then  Patty  went  to  Gertrude  Carleton's  room. 
She  found  that  fragile  bit  of  humanity  sleeping 
peacefully,  and  she  hated  to  startle  her. 

But  the  excitement  was  growing  greater. 
People  were  running  about  in  all  directions,  and 
the  flames,  though  still  confined  to  the  staircase, 
were  liable  to  spread  further  at  any  moment. 
So  Patty  decided  to  break  the  news  gently  to 
the  frail  Gertrude,  and  she  touched  her  softly 
on  the  shoulder. 

"  Gertrude,  dear,"  she  said,  "  if  the  house 
should  get  on  fire,  what  would  you  want  to  save 
most  ?  " 

«  My  shoes,"  said  Gertrude,  promptly,  awake 
and  alert  in  an  instant.  "  Here  they  are." 

She  reached  over  the  side  of  the  bed,  and 
grasped  her  dainty  little  patent-leather  boots, 
which  she  gave  to  Patty. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Patty,  putting  them  in  her 
bag,  "  and  now  you'd  better  get  up  and  dress, 
for  the  house  may  get  on  fire  to-night.  Come. 
I'll  help  you,  for  I  smell  smoke  now." 


194  Patty   Fairfield 

"  Where  are  you  going  with  your  hat  on  ?  " 
asked  Gertrude,  much  bewildered,  but  still 
making  an  expeditious  toilette. 

"  Nowhere,"  said  Patty.  "  I'm  collecting  valu- 
ables ;  this  is  Miss  Todd's  hat  I  must  go  now. 
When  you're  ready,  step  out  of  your  window  on 
to  the  balcony,  and  they'll  take  you  down  by 
ladders  or  something,  I  guess." 

Patty  went  out  into  the  hall,  and  found  that 
the  fire  was  partly  under  control.  Uncle  Ted 
and  Mr.  Carleton  were  pouring  buckets  of  water 
on  it,  which  they  brought  from  the  bathroom 
where  Bumble  was  helping  fill  the  buckets. 

Down-stairs,  Mr.  Harris  and  the  two  boys  were 
using  hand  grenades,  an  old  fire  extinguisher, 
and  sundry  other  patented  means  of  putting  out 
fires.  There  was  much  yelling  of  orders  going 
on,  but  very  little  obeying  of  the  same,  and  each 
man  seemed  to  be  working  with  a  will  in  his 
own  way. 

Patty  went  into  her  Aunt  Grace's  room,  and 
found  that  lady  dressed  in  her  best  attire. 

"  I  thought  I'd  put  on  this  gown,"  she   said. 

•*  Ted  says  we'll  all  be  saved ;  but  then  you  never 

Jin  tell  how  a  fire  may  break  out  somewhere  else 


A  Hurly-Burly  Fire  195 

and  burn  up  all  your  wardrobe.  So  I'll  have 
this,  anyway,  and  it's  my  best  gown.  Ted  told 
me  to  stay  in  this  room  and  not  move  until  he 
came  after  me.  Is  the  fire  burning  the  hall  car- 
pet much  ?  " 

"  Yes,  quite  a  gcod  deal ;  but  they've  spilled 
so  much  water  on  it  that  it's  all  wet,  and  I  reckon 
that  will  spoil  it  more  than  the  fire.  But,  Aunt 
Grace,  what  do  you  want  to  save?  The  house 
may  all  burn  upv  you  know,  and  I'm  trying  to 
save  the  most  valuable  things.  I've  this  pillow- 
case nearly  full,  now." 

"  Oh,  what  a  good  idea  !  Well,  I  wish  you'd 
put  in  that  photograph  album,  and  my  set  of 
coral  jewelry,  and  my  eye-glasses ;  and  please  get 
the  box  of  old  letters  that's  on  the  highest  shelf 
in  that  cupboard.  Oh,  and  riere's  Uncle  Ted's 
bank-book,  we  must  save  that." 

"  Now,  Grace,"  said  Uncle  Ted,  himself,  ap- 
pearing in  the  doorway,  "  the  fire  is  pretty  well 
under  control;  that  Harris  is  a  good  fellow,  and 
no  mistake.  But  as  the  flames  may  break  out 
again,  I  mean  to  put  you  out  of  harm's  way  at 
once.  Come  out  on  the  balcony." 

Uncle  Ted  had  a  great  coil  of  rope  in  his 


196  Patty   Fairfield 

arms,  and  he  stepped  through  the  long  French 
window  onto  the  balcony,  and  Aunt  Grace  and 
Patty  followed.  There  they  discovered  quite  a 
party  already  assembled,  and  such  costumes  as 
they  wore ! 

Mrs.  Carleton  had  on  Turkish  bedroom  slip- 
pers, and  she  wore  a  black  veil  tied  over  her  face 
/or  fear  of  smoke.  She  had  wrapped  herself  in  a 
large  eider-down  quilt  and  somebody  had  tied  it 
round  with  a  wide  sash,  so  that  she  looked  like  a 
queer  foreign  personage  of  some  sort. 

Nan,  in  her  hurry,  had  fastened  her  wig  on  in- 
securely, and  had  since  lost  it.  Her  attire  was 
an  old  ulster  of  Uncle  Ted's,  which  she  had 
found  in  the  third  story  hall  when  she  ran  up  to 
alarm  the  Carleton  children  and  their  nurse. 

The  nurse  in  great  fright  had  pulled  down 
portieres,  and  wrapped  them  round  herself  and 
the  children,  while  old  Hopalong  had  shuffled 
down  from  her  room  in  a  mackintosh  and  sun- 
bonnet. 

To  this  motley  crowd  came  Aunt  Grace  in 
her  handsome  party  gown,  and  Patty  with  her 
bag  of  treasures. 

"  Hello,  there,"  cried    Uncle   Ted,   cheerily, 


A  Hurly-Burly  Fire  197 

« the  danger  is  over,  I  think,  but  we  have  no 
stairs  left  to  descend  upon.  The  boys  are  bring- 
ing ladders,  however,  and  I  think,  with  care,  we 
can  all  get  down  safely.  But  as  my  wife's 
sprained  ankle  is  scarcely  sound  enough  as  yet 
to  trust  her  on  a  ladder,  I  am  going  to  try  to 
swing  her  down  in  this  hammock.  Patty,  I 
think  I'll  send  you  down  first,  for  prac- 
tice." 

"  All  right,  Uncle  Ted,"  said  Patty,  and  still 
clasping  her  bag  of  valuables,  and  wearing  Miss 
Todd's  Paris  hat,  she  seated  herself  in  the  ham- 
mock, exactly  according  to  Uncle  Ted's  direc- 
tions, and  he  and  Mr.  Carleton  carefully  let  her 
down  by  the  long  ropes  which  had  been  fastened 
at  each  end  of  the  novel  elevator. 

Mr.  Harris  was  waiting  for  her,  and  he  landed 
her  safely  on  the  steps  of  the  lower  veranda. 

Next  Aunt  Grace  was  lowered,  and  after  that 
another  hammock  was  rigged,  and  all  of  the 
ladies  were  taken  down  that  way,  as  they  pre- 
ferred it  to  the  ladders. 

The  men  came  down  the  ladders  and  brought 
the  little  children  in  their  arms,  and  then  the 
queer-looking  crowd  gathered  in  the  sitting-room 


198  Patty   Fairfield 

to  discuss  the  situation.  The  i.ien  excluded 
that  the  fire  was  occasioned  by  a  mouse  having 
nibbled  at  some  matches  which  were  kept  in  the 
closet  under  the  stairs. 

As  the  shelves  and  walls  and  most  of  the  con- 
tents of  the  closet  were  charred,  it  was  assumed 
that  the  fire  had  been  smouldering  for  some 
hours,  and  if  Mr.  Harris  had  not  discovered  it  as 
soon  as  he  did,  it  would  doubtless  have  been  fol- 
lowed by  more  disastrous  consequences. 

The  stairs  from  the  first  to  the  second  floor 
were  entirely  burned  away,  and  except  that  the 
walls  and  carpets  of  both  halls  were  smoked  and 
discolored,  no  other  harm  was  done. 

But  as  that  staircase  was  the  only  one  con- 
necting the  first  and  second  floors,  the  victims 
of  the  fire  found  themselves  in  the  peculiar  posi- 
tion of  not  being  able  to  go  up-stairs. 

"  How  perfectly  ridiculous,"  exclaimed  Aunt 
Grace,  "  to  build  a  house  with  no  back  stairs.  I 
always  said  that  was  the  greatest  flaw  about  this 
house.  What  can  we  do  ?  " 

"  As  it  is  nearly  five  o'clock,"  said  Uncle  Ted, 
tl  I  propose  that  we  have  breakfast,  and  consider 
that  the  day  has  begun.  Then  perhaps  I  can 


A  Hurly-Burly  Fire  199 

get  somebody  to  build  stairs  or  steps  of  some 
kind  by  night." 

"  But  we  must  go  up-stairs,"  said  Nan,  who  had 
covered  her  wigless  head  with  a  bandanna  ker- 
chief, bound  round  like  a  turban ;  "  we  wani  to 
dress  properly  before  we  breakfast." 

"  And  we  want  to  finish  our  sleep,"  said  Ger- 
trude Carleton.  "  I'm  not  going  to  get  up  at  five 
o'clock  and  stay  up." 

So  the  ladders  were  brought  in  from  outside 
and  put  up  in  the  stair-well,  and  with  some  diffi- 
culty everybody  was  brought  safely  up-stairs 
again. 

With  the  procrastination  which  was  character- 
istic of  the  Barlow  household,  the  new  stairs 
failed  to  get  built  that  day  or  the  next  either ; 
indeed  it  was  nearly  a  week  before  a  staircase 
was  put  in  place,  and  as  it  was  meant  to  be  only 
temporary  it  was  made  of  plain  unpainted  wood. 

But  you  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn  that  it 
was  not  replaced  by  a  more  sightly  affair  until 
after  the  Barlows  had  returned  to  their  city 
home. 

As  the  end  of  her  visit  at  the  Hurly-Burly 
drew  near,  Patty  felt  great  regret  at  the  thought 


200  Patty   Fairfield 

of  leaving  the  merry,  careless  crowd.  She  in. 
vited  them,  one  and  all,  to  visit  her  when  she 
should  be  established  in  her  own  home,  and  she 
promised  to  correspond  regularly  with  both 
Bumble  and  Nan. 

"  Where  is  it  you're  going?"  said  Bumble,  "  1 
never  can  remember." 

"  To  Vernondale,"  answered  Patty,  "  a  town  in 
New  Jersey.  But  it's  nowhere  near  Elmbridge, 
where  I  visited  the  St.  Clairs.  I  believe  it  is  on 
another  railroad.  I've  had  a  lovely  letter  from 
Aunt  Alice  Elliott,  and  she  wants  me  to  come 
the  first  week  in  September.  She  says  Uncle 
Charlie  will  meet  me  in  New  York,  or  come 
over  here  after  me,  whichever  I  say.  But  I 
think  I'd  better  meet  him  in  New  York." 

So  when  the  day  came  Uncle  Ted  took  Patty 
over  to  New  York,  and  Bob  and  Bumble  and 
Nan  went  too,  and  it  was  a  group  of  very  long- 
faced  young  people  who  met  Mr.  Elliott  at  the 
appointed  time  and  place.  But  Bob  said  : 

"  Brace  up,  girls,  we're  not  losing  our  Patty 
forever.  She'll  spend  next  summer  with  us  at 
the  Hurly-Burly,  and  by  that  time  we'll  have 
beautiful  new  fire-proof  stairs." 


A  Hurly-Burly  Fire  201 

•'  Yes,"  said  Bumble,  "  and  she  can  visit  us  in 
Philadelphia  in  the  winter  too." 

Then  after  many  fond  good-byes,  the  Barlows 
went  away,  and  l*atty  was  left  with  her  Uncle 
Charlie. 


CHAPTER  xvnr 

AT  VERNONDALE 

AFTER  the  Barlows  had  left  them  Mr.  Elliott 
put  Patty  in  a  cab  to  go  across  New  York  to  the 
New  Jersey  ferry,  and  seating  himself  beside  her 
he  said : 

"  Well,  my  little  maid,  I  am  very  glad  to  ge? 
you  at  last ;  and  as  there  is  a  whole  houseful  of 
people  out  at  Vernondale  who  are  eagerly  watch 
ing  for  your  arrival,  I  am  going  to  get  you  there 
as  soon  as  possible." 

"  Yes,  do,"  said  Patty ;  "  I  am  so  anxious  to  see 
Marian  and  all  the  rest.  Tell  me  something 
about  them,  Uncle  Charlie.  I  am  getting  ac- 
customed to  meeting  new  relatives,  but  I  like  to 
hear  about  them  beforehand,  too." 

"Well,"  said  Uncle  Charlie,  "to  begin  with, 
/our  Aunt  Alice  is  the  loveliest  woman  on  the 
fece  of  the  earth." 

"  I  am  sure  she  is,"  said  Patty,  heartily,  "  for 
she  has  written  me  such  beautiful  letters  about 


At  Vernondale  203 

my  coming,  and  I  feel  as  if  I  already  know  her. 
And  then,  of  course,  she  is  papa's  sister,  so  she 
must  be  nice." 

"  Then  there  is  Grandma  Elliott,"  her  uncle 
went  on ;  "  she  is  my  mother,  and  a  dearer  old 
lady  never  breathed.  You'll  love  her  at  first 
sight." 

"Oh,  I  know  I  shall,"  said  Patty;  "there 
hasn't  been  a  single  grandmother  in  all  my  other 
visits,  and  as  I  have  none  of  my  own,  I  shall  just 
adopt  yours,  if  she'll  let  me." 

"  Try  it,  and  see,"  said  her  uncle,  smiling. 
"  As  to  your  cousins,  they  are  four  specimens  of 
young  America  who  must  be  seen  to  be  ap- 
preciated. Frank  is  seventeen  and  Marian  is 
about  your  own  age.  Edith  is  ten,  and  little 
Gilbert  is  six.  They  are  all  moderately  good 
and  moderately  pretty,  but  on  the  whole,  I  think 
you'll  like  them." 

The  travelers  crossed  the  ferry  to  New  Jersey, 
and  after  riding  nearly  an  hour  in  the  cars  they 
reached  Vernondale. 

Mr.  Elliott's  carriage  met  them  at  the  railway 
station,  and  a  short  drive  brought  Patty  to  her 
new  home.  The  house  was  a  large  one,  sur- 


204  Patty   Fairfield 

rounded  by  beautiful  grounds  with  fine  trees, 
carefully  kept  lawns  and  beds  of  bright  flowers. 

The  whole  family  had  assembled  on  the 
veranda  to  greet  Patty,  and  as  the  carriage  came 
up  the  driveway  there  was  a  great  waving  of 
handkerchiefs  and  clapping  of  hands  and  shouts 
of  "  Here  she  comes,"  "  Here's  our  cousin!" 

As  Uncle  Charlie  helped  Patty  out  of  the 
carriage,  Aunt  Alice  was  the  first  to  clasp  her  in 
her  arms,  and  it  was  with  such  a  warm  loving 
embrace  that  Patty  felt  the  motherliness  of  it, 
and  loved  her  Aunt  Alice  at  once. 

Next  she  was  introduced  to  Grandma  Elliott 
and  the  dear  old  lady  beamed  through  her  spec- 
tacles at  pretty  Patty,  and  willingly  agreed  to 
adopt  her  as  a  really,  truly  granddaughter. 

Cousin  Frank  proved  to  be  a  big,  stalwart  lad, 
with  merry  eyes  and  a  boyish  smile,  and  he 
welcomed  Patty  with  hearty  good-will. 

Marian  was  a  beautiful  girl  with  fun  and  intel- 
ligence written  all  over  her  bright  face,  and  when 
she  said,  "  Oh,  Patty,  I'm  so  glad  you've  come," 
Patty  felt  sure  they  would  be  not  only  warm 
friends  but  congenial  chums.  Ten-year  old 
Edith  clasped  Patty's  hand  in  both  her  own  and 


At  Vernondale  205 

held  it  for  a  long  while,  looking  up  in  her  cousin's 
face  with  an  occasional  smile  of  happy  con- 
fidence. 

Last  came  little  Gilbert,  the  pet  of  the  house- 
hold, and  a  lovely  boy  he  was.  Short  dark  curls 
clustered  all  over  his  head  and  his  great  brown 
eyes  gazed  at  Patty  in  rapt  contemplation. 

"  I'm  glad  you've  come,"  he  said,  finally,  "  and 
I  love  you,  and  I'll  try  to  be  good  all  the  time 
you're  here." 

"That's  right,  my  boy,"  said  Uncle  Charlie, 
catching  Gilbert  up  in  his  arms  and  setting  him 
on  his  shoulder,  "  and  after  Patty  is  gone,  what 
then?" 

"  Then, — I'll  see  about  it,"  said  the  child, 
gravely,  and  they  all  laughed  at  the  carefully 
considered  decision. 

Then  Aunt  Alice  took  Patty  up  to  her  room, 
and  as  they  went  through  the  halls,  Patty  thought 
she  had  never  seen  such  a  beautiful  house  in  her 
life.  It  was  as  large  as  the  St.  Glairs'  house,  but 
the  decorations  and  furnishings  were  in  subdued 
tints  and  quiet  effects  and  there  was  no  loud  or 
garish  ornamentation. 

When   they  entered   a   room  on   tlie  second 


20O  Patty   Fairfield 

floor,  Patty  could  not  repress  an  exclamation  ot 
delight. 

"  Oh,  Aunt  Alice,"  she  said,  "  what  a  lovely 
room !  Is  this  mine  ?  " 

"Yes,  dear,"  said  her  aunt,  "and  I'm  glad 
you  like  it.  It  was  a  great  pleasure  for  Marian 
and  me  to  arrange  it  for  you." 

The  room  was  a  large  one,  with  windows  on 
two  sides,  and  the  coloring  was  all  pale  green 
and  ivory. 

The  walls  were  a  beautiful  shade  of  light 
green,  with  a  few  water-colors  and  etchings  in 
narrow  gilt  or  ivory  frames. 

The  carpet  was  plain  green,  soft  and  velvety, 
like  moss ;  and  the  furniture,  of  a  light  cream- 
colored  wood,  was  in  dainty  shapes,  with  delicate 
spindle-legged  tables  and  chairs.  The  dressing- 
table  was  furnished  with  ivory-backed  brushes 
and  mirrors,  and  there  was  a  charming  little 
work-table  with  sewing  materials  of  all  kinds. 

An  open  desk  showed  every  kind  of  writing- 
implement,  made  of  ivory  or  cut-glass,  and  the 
blotting-pad  was  pale  green. 

A  couch  by  a  corner  window  was  provided 
with  many  ruffly  fluffy  pillows,  covered  with 


At  Vcrnondale  207 

green  silk,  and  a  knitted  afghan  of  soft  green 
wool  lay  folded  at  the  foot. 

Two  or  three  vases  of  mignonette  and  ferns 
harmonized  with  the  general  effect,  and  gave  the 
room  a  delightful  fragrance. 

Although  unable  to  appreciate  all  these  details 
at  a  first  glance,  Patty  at  once  realized  that  the 
whole  room  presented  a  far  more  charming  and 
refined  appearance  than  her  more  elaborate 
apartment  at  Villa  Rosa,  with  its  ornate  bric-a- 
brac  and  expensive  rugs. 

"  It  is  lovely,"  she  said  to  her  aunt.  "  I  never 
saw  a  room  that  I  liked  as  well.  I  think  a  fairy 
must  have  touched  it  with  her  wand,  it  is  all  so 
fresh  and  sweet,  just  like  a  woodland  dell." 

•'  This  is  your  fairy  bower,"  said  Aunt  Alice, 
and  she  opened  a  glass  door  leading  out  on  a 
balcony. 

The  balcony  was  as  large  as  a  small  room,  and 
it  had  a  roof  to  it,  and  rattan  shades  at  the  sides 
that  could  be  rolled  up  or  down  at  pleasure. 

Vines  clambered  around  the  pillars,  and  on  the 
railings  between  them,  were  palms  and  bright 
flowers  growing  in  jars  or  tiled  boxes. 

On  the  balcony  were  several  easy  chairs,  a 


208  Patty   Fairfield 

round  table  and  a  couch,  all  of  wicker  basket- 
work,  and  across  the  corner  was  swung  a  green 
and  white  hammock  with  pillows  of  green  linen. 

"  Oh,  Aunt  Alice,"  cried  Patty,  "  this  is  fairy- 
land !  Is  this  my  balcony  ?  " 

"  Yes,  dear,"  said  her  aunt,  kissing  her  happy, 
surprised  little  face,  "  and  I  hope  you  will  often 
enjoy  it.  I  want  you  to  be  a  happy  Patty  during 
your  stay  with  us." 

"  I  am  happy  already,"  said  Patty,  as  they 
went  back  into  her  room,  "  in  such  a  lovely 
home,  and  among  such  lovely  people." 

"May  I  come  in?"  said  Marian,  tapping  at 
the  open  door.  "  Mother  mine,  are  you  going  to 
monopolize  our  Patty  ?  I  haven't  half  seen  her 
yet." 

"  You  can  see  me,"  said  Patty,  smiling  at 
her  cousin,  "  but  you  can't  hear  me,  for  I  am 
speechless  with  delight  at  this  beautiful  room, 
and  that  fairy-land  place  outside.  And  now  I'm 
going  to  put  my  mother's  picture  on  the  desk 
and  then  it  will  be  just  perfect." 

Patty  took  the  portrait  from  her  traveling-bag, 
and  Aunt  Alice  looked  at  it  tenderly.  Though 
she  had  known  her  brother's  young  wife  but  a 


At  Vernondalc  209 

short  time,  she  had  greatly  loved  and  admired 
her. 

"  You  are  like  your  mother,  Patty,"  she  said. 

"  So  every  one  tells  me,  Aunt  Alice.  But  I 
want  to  be  a  Fairfield  too.  Don't  you  think  I 
am  like  papa  ?  " 

"  Not  very  much  in  appearance.  Perhaps  you 
are  like  him  in  disposition.  I'll  wait  until  I 
know  you  better  before  I  judge.  Brother  Fred 
was  the  stubbornest  boy  I  ever  saw.  But  when 
I  told  him  so,  he  said  it  was  only  firmness  of 
character." 

"  I  think  that's  what  it  is  with  papa,"  said 
Patty,  loyally,  "  but  I've  often  heard  him  say 
that  I  used  to  be  very  stubborn  when  I  was  little." 

"  It's  a  Fairfield  trait,"  said  Aunt  Alice,  smil- 
ing, and  as  Patty  looked  at  the  sweet-faced  lady 
she  thought  she  seemed  as  if  perhaps  she  could 
be  very  firm  if  occasion  required. 

"  Marian,"  said  Patty,  "  Aunt  Alice  says  you 
helped  arrange  this  lovely  room  for  me,  and  I 
want  to  thank  you  and  tell  you  how  much  I  ad- 
mire it." 

"  Oh,  I  didn't  do  much,"  said  Marian.  "  I  only 
selected  the  books  and  stocked  the  writing-desk 


210  Patty   Fairfield 

and  sewing-table,  and  made  the  sofa-pillows  and 
did  a  few  little  things  like  that.  Mamma  did  most 
of  it  herself.  And  grandma  knitted  the  afghan. 
Isn't  it  pretty  ?  We  were  all  glad  to  get  ready 
<br  your  coming.  We've  looked  forward  to  it 
ever  since  you  came  North." 

"  Come,  Marian,"  said  her  mother,  "  let  us  run 
away  now,  and  leave  Patty  to  dress  for  dinner. 
Unless  we  can  help  you  unpack,  may  we  ?  Your 
trunks  have  come,  and  I  will  have  them  sent  up 
here  at  once." 

"  Oh,  yes,  let  me  help  you  put  away  your 
things,"  said  Marian,  but  Patty,  with  a  slight 
blush,  thanked  them  for  their  kind  offers  but  de- 
clined their  assistance.  And  for  a  very  good 
reason,  or  at  least  it  seemed  so  to  the  embar- 
rassed child.  During  her  stay  at  the  Hurly- 
Burly,  poor  Patty's  wardrobe  had  become  sadly 
dilapidated. 

It  never  occurred  to  the  Barlow  family  to 
mend  their  clothes.  Missing  buttons  were  never 
replaced  except  by  pins  ;  torn  ends  of  trimming 
were  left  hanging  or  snipped  off;  and  after  a 
whole  summer's  carelessness,  Patty's  garments 
were  in  a  deplorable  state. 


At  Vernondale  2u 

So  the  child  really  felt  ashamed  for  her  aunt 
and  cousin,  who  seemed  to  be  the  quintessence 
of  neatness,  to  discover  her  untidy  wardrobe. 

Even  her  best  dresses  were  soiled  and  wrinkled. 
Nan  and  Bumble  had  helped  her  to  pack,  and 
their  idea  of  packing  a  trunk  seemed  to  be  to 
toss  everything  in  in  a  heap,  and  then  jump  on 
the  lid  to  make  it  shut  tight. 

So  woful  Patty  looked  over  her  clothes  in  dis- 
may. They  had  seemed  all  right  down  at  the 
Hurly-Burly,  but  here,  in  this  immaculate  green 
and  white  room  they  seemed  utterly  out  of  place, 
and  quite  unworthy  of  being  put  away  in  the 
bureau-drawers  or  cupboards. 

It  was  with  difficulty  that  she  decided  upon  a 
dress  to  wear  down  to  dinner.  Her  light  sum- 
mer dresses  had  been  bought  ready-made  during 
one  of  Aunt  Grace's  hurried  trips  to  New  York, 
and  with  the  well-known  viciousness  of  ready- 
made  clothing,  had  shrunk  and  stretched  in  the 
wrong  places,  and  showed  occasional  rips  be- 
sides. Then  being  badly  laundered  and  after- 
wards crumpled  in  the  trunk,  they  presented 
anything  but  the  fresh,  crisp  appearance  that 
summer  ^tresses  ought  to  have. 


212  Patty   Fairfield 

So  Patty  looked  over  her  other  frocks.  But 
the  gorgeous  ones  that  she  hadn't  worn  since 
she  was  at  Aunt  Isabel's,  seemed  more  than  ever 
in  glaring  bad  taste,  and  as  she  had  needed  no 
new  clothes  at  Aunt  Hester's,  she  had  bought 
none  while  in  Boston. 

With  a  sigh,  she  selected  a  pink  muslin,  that 
did  fairly  well,  except  that  the  lace  was  gone 
from  one  sleeve  and  two  buttons  were  missing. 

She  ripped  the  lace  from  the  other  sleeve,  so 
that  they  might  match,  at  least,  and  was  rejoiced 
to  find  that  there  were  some  buttons  in  a  drawer 
of  her  new  work-table. 

Of  course  needles  and  thread  were  there  too, 
which  was  fortunate,  for  Patty  had  none  in  her 
trunk,  and  indeed,  she  scarcely  knew  how  to  use 
them  anyway. 

As  she  dressed,  she  resolved  that  she  would 
confide  her  troubles  to  Aunt  Alice,  and  ask  help 
in  replenishing  her  wardrobe. 

"  I'm  all  out  of  proportion,"  she  said  to  her- 
self, "  and  papa  wouldn't  like  it  a  bit  if  he  knew 
that  I  didn't  have  a  decent  dress  to  put  on.  But 
down  at  the  Hurly-Burly  nobody  cared  or 
thought  anything  about  it." 


At  Vernondale  213 

As  all  her  shoes  seemed  to  lack  some  buttons 
or  to  have  broken  laces,  she  put  on  her  best 
slippers,  and  after  she  had  brushed  her  pretty 
hair,  and  improved  the  despised  pink  muslin 
with  some  bows  of  black  velvet,  she  looked  quite 
presentable,  and  if  Aunt  Alice  noticed  anything 
amiss  she  gave  no  hint  of  it  to  her  young  guest. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

A    PICNIC 

•*  AUNT  ALICE,"  said  Patty,  the  next  morning 
after  breakfast,  "  I  want  to  have  a  little  talk  with 
you,  and  won't  you  come  up  to  my  Fairy  Bower 
so  we  can  be  by  ourselves, — for  it's  a  sort  of  se- 
cret ?  " 

"  I  will,  my  child,"  said  Aunt  Alice,  "  as  soon 
as  I've  attended  to  a  few  household  duties.  I'll 
meet  you  there,  in  about  half  an  hour.  Will 
your  secret  keep  that  long  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes  indeed ;  I'm  in  no  hurry  at  all." 

"  I  don't  seem  to  be  included  in  the  secret," 
said  Marian ;  "  but  come  with  me,  Patty,  won't 
you,  until  mamma  is  ready  for  you  ?  I'm  going 
to  water  the  palms  and  plants  in  the  front  ve- 
randa. That  is  always  part  of  my  morning's 
work." 

"  Let  me  help  you,"  said  Patty,  and  the  two 
girls  went  off  together. 

In  a  short  time  Aunt  Alice  reappeared,  say- 
214 


A    Picnic  215 

ing,  "  Now,  Patty  girl,  I'm  at  your  disposal. 
Marian,  dear,  remember  this  is  Thursday,  and 
the  Basket  Drill  is  at  ten." 

"  Yes,  I  know,  mamma.     I'll  be  ready  for  it." 

When  Mrs.  Elliott  was  comfortably  seated  in 
a  rocking-chair  on  the  balcony,  Patty  drew  up  a 
small  wicker  stool  and  sat  down  in  front  of  her. 

"  Aunt  Alice,"  she  began,  "  my  secret  is  just 
this.  I  haven't  any  clothes  that  are  fit  to  wear, 
and  I  want  you  to  help  me  get  some.  When  I 
was  at  Aunt  Isabel's  she  bought  me  loads  of 
dresses,  but  they  were  all  winter  ones,  and  be- 
sides, I  don't  believe  they're  the  kind  you'd  like. 
In  Boston,  at  Aunt  Hester's,  nobody  ever 
thought  much  about  what  they  wore,  and  I  got 
along  all  right,  somehow,  but  this  summer  down 
at  Aunt  Grace's,  my  clothes  seemed  to  go  to 
pieces  all  at  once." 

"  Like  the  '  One-Hoss-Shay,'  "  said  Aunt 
Alice,  laughing.  "  Well,  this  is  indeed  a  sad 
state  of  affairs.  But  perhaps  we  can  find  a  way 
out  of  the  difficulty." 

"  Yes,  of  course  we  can,"  said  Patty,  eagerly. 
«  Papa  sends  me  money  whenever  I  ask  him  for 
it;  so  if  you'll  buy  me  some  clothes,  he'll  repay 


216  Patty   Fairfield 

you  at  once.  I  want  everything.  My  things 
are  no  good  at  all." 

"  Wait,  wait,"  said  Aunt  Alice,  "  don't  dispose 
of  your  wardrobe  in  such  a  summary  way.  Sup- 
pose we  look  it  over  together,  and  see  what's 
best  to  be  done." 

"  All  right,"  said  Patty,  "  but  I'm  really 
ashamed  to  show  you  the  miserable  lot." 

"  Why,  Patty,"  said  Aunt  Alice,  as  she  looked 
over  the  torn  and  crumpled  dresses  and  under- 
clothing, "  these  do  seem  to  be  un wearable,  but 
they  are  not  hopelessly  so.  You  see,  the  trouble 
is,  they've  been  neglected,  and  clothes,  like 
plants  or  children,  won't  thrive  under  neglect." 

"  I  know  it,  Aunt  Alice,  but  we  never  thought 
of  mending  things  down  at  the  Hurly-Burly, 
and  there  was  no  one  to  do  it  for  us,  as  there 
was  at  Aunt  Isabel's." 

"  Never  mind  your  other  aunts,  Patty ;  you 
have  to  deal  now  with  your  Aunt  Alice,  and  you 
will  find  her  a  regular  tyrant." 

But  the  loving  smile  which  accompanied  this 
speech  robbed  it  of  all  tyrannical  effect. 

"  Now,"  the  *•  tyrant "  went  on,  "  we'll  put  in 
one  pile  all  the  things  that  are  too  faded  or  worn 


A   Picnic  217 

to  be  of  use  to  you,  and  those  we'll  give  away 
to  some  one  who  can  use  them.  These  heavy 
silk  and  velvet  frocks  and  these  gorgeous  party 
dresses  we'll  just  lay  away  for  the  present, 
and  now  we'll  put  in  this  place  all  that  needs 
mending.  It's  a  shame  to  see  these  dainty  little 
white  petticoats  and  nightgowns  with  their  but- 
tons off,  and  their  trimmings  torn." 

"  Yes,  Aunt  Isabel  bought  me  those,  and  they 
were  lovely  when  they  were  new." 

"  And  they'll  be  lovely  again,  for  they  only 
need  a  few  stitches  and  some  good  laundry-work 
to  make  them  as  pretty  and  fresh  as  ever.  Do 
you  know  how  to  sew,  Patty  ?  " 

"  No,  Aunt  Alice,  I  don't.  When  I  was  at 
home,  Mrs.  Miller,  our  landlady,  always  looked 
after  my  things,  and  I  never  thought  of  sewing ; 
and  since  I've  been  North,  I  haven't,  either." 

"  Well,  Patty,  sewing  is  an  old-fashioned  ac- 
complishment, I  suppose,  but  I  think  it  is  some- 
thing that  every  woman  ought  to  know  ;  and  if 
you  are  going  to  keep  my  brother's  house  fof 
him,  I  am  going  to  see  to  it  that  you  are  well 
equipped  for  the  task,  and  to  that  end  I'm  going 
to  instruct  you  in  both  sewing  and  housekeep- 


218  Patty   Fairfield 

ing.  There,  Miss  Patty  Fairfield,  how  do  you 
like  that?" 

Patty  ran  to  her  aunt's  arms,  which  were 
open  to  receive  her,  and  kissed  her  lovingly. 

"  Oh,  Aunt  Alice,  I'll  be  so  glad  if  you  will, 
for  I  do  want  to  keep  papa's  house  right.  But 
Aunt  Grace  told  me  not  to  worry  about  it,  and 
the  house  would  keep  itself." 

"  Never  mind  Aunt  Grace  now,  you  are  under 
Aunt  Alice's  orders,  as  I  told  you.  And  she 
was  right  in  telling  you  not  to  worry  about  it ; 
but  as  to  a  house  keeping  itself,  I  haven't  heard 
that  the  autohome  has  been  invented  yet,  and 
until  it  is,  we'll  stand  by  the  old  methods  of 
housekeeping.  And  so,  every  morning,  my 
dear  Patty,  unless  something  very  important 
calls  you  elsewhere,  you  are  to  spend  two  hours 
with  me,  in  studying  what  the  wise  people  call 
Domestic  Science,  but  I  call  Domestic  Common- 
sense." 

Patty's  little  face  looked  very  bright  and 
happy,  for  she  was  truly  anxious  to  learn  these 
things,  and  there  had  been  no  opportunities  dur- 
ing her  other  visits. 

« I  treat  Marion  in  the  same  way,"  said  Aunt 


A   Picnic  219 

Alice.  "  Although  we  have  several  servants, 
Marian  has  learned  and  practiced  many  branches 
of  housework  and  she  sews  very  nicely.  But  I 
don't  think  you  will  find  Marian  *  worried '  or 
even  impatient  at  the  irksome  tasks." 

"  No,  indeed,  Aunt  Alice,  Marian  is  as  bright 
and  cheery  as  a  sunbeam,  and  I'm  sure  no  task 
could  be  irksome  if  you  advised  or  assisted  with  it." 

"  Oh,  you  don't  know  me  yet,"  laughed  Aunt 
Alice  ;  "  didn't  I  tell  you  I  was  a  tyrant  ?  But 
you  do  need  some  new  things,  child,  and  we'll 
buy  them  in  a  day  or  two." 

Aunt  Alice  counted  over  the  dresses  which 
could  be  make  available  for  use^and  then,  select- 
ing a  number  of  garments  only  slightly  out  of 
repair,  she  said : 

"  This  morning  we'll  attack  these.  Did  you 
hear  me  tell  Marian  to  remember  the  Basket 
Drill  ?  Well,  that  means  the  sewing  or  mend- 
ing basket ;  and  if  you'll  bring  yours  with  you, 
we'll  attend  a  Ladies'  Sewing  Society  in  the  sit- 
ting-room at  once." 

In  the  sitting-room  they  found  Marian  with 
her  basket  of  work,  and  grandma,  who  was 
darning  stockings. 


220  Patty   Fairfield 

With  kindly  care  and  patience  Aunt  Alice 
showed  Patty  how  to  mend  neatly,  and  as  the 
pupil  was  by  no  means  stupid,  she  did  great 
credit  to  her  teacher. 

After  they  had  sewed  for  about  an  hour,  Mrs. 
Elliott  said : 

"  Now,  children,  put  away  your  baskets  and 
run  out  to  play.  You  need  fresh  air  and  sun- 
shine quite  as  much  as  buttons  and  strings. 
Marian,  why  don't  you  take  Patty  down  and 
show  her  the  Falls  ?  You'll  have  just  about 
time  enough  to  go  and  get  back  to  luncheon." 

"  We  will,"  said  Marian ;  "  come  along,  Patty." 

As  Patty  was  by  nature  adaptable  to  her  sur- 
roundings, she  followed  Marian's  example  and 
arranged  her  work-basket  tidily  and  then  put  it 
away  in  its  place,  though  down  at  the  Hurly- 
Burly  it  would  never  have  occurred  to  her  to  do 
so,  and  nobody  would  have  set  her  such  an  ex- 
ample. 

Patty  thought  to  herself,  "  Well,  these  people 
have  the  right  proportion  of  system  and  order, 
anyhow;  I  wonder  if  they're  lacking  in  some 
other  proportion.  I  haven't  seen  it  yet,  if  they 
are," 


A    Picnic  221 

And  she  didn't  discover  it  later,  either;  for 
though  not  perfect  people,  by  any  means,  the 
Elliotts  had  a  true  sense  of  proportion,  and  no 
duty  or  pleasure  was  pursued  to  excess,  and 
so  allowed  to  crowd  out  other  duties  or  pleasures. 

"  Mother,"  said  Frank,  as  they  sat  on  the  ve- 
randa, one  evening,  soon  after  Patty's  arrival,  "  I 
think  we  might  have  a  picnic  in  Patty's  honor. 
I  want  her  to  get  acquainted  with  the  boys  and 
girls,  and  that's  as  good  a  way  as  any.  And  if 
we  could  have  it  on  Saturday  afternoon,  perhaps 
father  could  take  a  half-holiday  and  go  with  us." 

"  That's  a  fine  idea,"  said  Aunt  Alice ;  "  do 
you  agree,  Charlie  ?  " 

«  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Elliott,  « I'd  like  it  of  all 
things.  Shall  we  go  to  Foster's  Woods?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Marian,  "  that's  the  nicest  place 
for  a  picnic.  There's  a  lovely  lake  there,  Patty, 
and  boats  to  row  about  in,  and  tables  for  the 
feast  and  everything." 

"How  many  shall  you  invite?"  said  Uncle' 
Charlie.  "  I'll  engage  stages  to  take  us  all  over." 

"  I  want  to  go,"  said  Edith.  "  Mayn't  I, 
mamma  ?  " 

"  Of  course  you  may/'  said  Mrs.  Elliott;  "  we'll 


222  Patty   Fairfield 

take  the  whole  family,  from  grandma  down  to 
little  Gilbert." 

"  Oh,  I  can't  go,"  said  grandma;  "  I'm  too  old 
for  picnics." 

•'  Not  a  bit,"  said  her  son ;  "  if  you  don't  care 
for  staging,  I'll  send  you  and  Alice  and  the 
baby  over  in  the  carriage." 

And  then  they  all  fell  to  planning  the  details 
of  the  picnic,  and  Patty  secretly  contrasted  the 
occasion  with  similar  ones  at  her  other  aunts'. 

There  was  no  quarreling  about  arrangements 
as  at  Villa  Rosa ;  each  deferred  politely  to  the 
others'  opinions,  and  yet  each  frankly  expressed 
his  or  her  mind  on  any  subject. 

And  there  was  no  inattention  or  forgetfulness 
as  at  the  Hurry-Burly.  Each  was  appointed  to 
attend  to  several  different  things,  and  Patty  felt 
sure  that  their  promise  would  all  be  ful- 
filled. 

"  Let's  have  lots  of  sandwiches,"  said  Frank ; 
« the  last  picnic  I  went  to,  I  didn't  have  hall 
enough.  And  can't  we  have  jam  in  some  of 
them,  as  well  as  chicken  and  ham  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  my  boy,"  said  his  mother ;  "  I'll 
see  that  you  have  jam  sandwiches  and  harr 


A   Picnic  223 

sandwiches  and  chicken  sandwiches,  and  plenty 
of  them." 

"  Those  names  might  be  shortened,"  said 
Uncle  Charlie,  meditatively.  "  The  sand  is 
superfluous,  anyway.  There's  no  sand  in  them. 
Why  don't  we  say  jamwiches,  hamwiches  and 
chickwiches  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that's  much  better,"  cried  Marian.  "  I 
wonder  we  never  thought  of  it  before.  I  shall 
never  mention  a  ham  sandwich  again.  A  ham- 
wich  is  so  much  nicer." 

"  And  then  there  are  tonguewiches  and  egg- 
wiches,"  said  Patty,  delighted  with  the  new 
words. 

"  And  jellywiches,"  said  Aunt  Alice,  laughing. 
«  And  now  what  else  do  young  people  eat  ? 
Cakes  and  fruit,  I  suppose." 

"  Yes,  and  little  tarts,"  said  Frank ;  "  they're 
awfully  good  on  a  picnic." 

"  And  ice  cream,"  said  Marian. 

"  I'll  order  the  ice  cream,"  said  her  father, 
'«  and  I'll  bring  a  big  box  of  candies  from  New 
York.  Frank,  you  must  see  to  the  hammocks 
and  swings,  and  games  if  you  want  them." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Frank,  "  I'll  take  my  shuffle- 


224  Patty   Fairfield 

board  and  ring-toss.     And  we'll  build  a  fire,  and 
make  coffee,  shall  we  mother  ?  " 

"  Yes,  dear ;  Patty  and  I  will  make  the  coffee," 
said  Aunt  Alice  with  a  sidelong  smile  at  her  niece. 

"  Then  I  know  it  will  be  good,"  said  Frank. 

Saturday  was  a  beautiful  day,  clear  and  bright 
and  not  too  warm. 

Immediately  after  luncheon  four  stages  went 
around  and  gathered  up  about  fifty  young  peo- 
ple, and  a  wagon  full  of  provisions  for  feasting 
and  fun  followed  them  to  Foster's  Woods. 

Patty  wore  a  pretty  white  frock,  which, 
under  Aunt  Alice's  instruction,  she  had  neatly 
mended,  and  Mrs.  Elliott's  skilful  laundress  had 
made  clean  and  crisp. 

The  Vernondale  young  people  proved  to  be  a 
merry,  jolly  crowd,  and  pretty  Patty  soon  be- 
came a  favorite. 

Frank  and  Mariam  introduced  her  to  every- 
body and  took  special  care  that  she  should  never 
lack  for  companions  or  amusement. 

And  there  was  so  much  to  do,  and  Patty  en 
joyed  it  all.     She  was  clever  at  the  games,  and 
owing  to  her  practice  at  the   Hurly-Burly,  she 
could  row  as  well  as  any  boy. 


A   Picnic  225 

The  lake  was  a  beautiful  bit  of  water,  and  in 
some  parts  of  it  pond-lilies  grew  in  abundance. 

The  young  people  gathered  a  quantity  of 
these,  both  white  and  pink,  to  decorate  the  sup- 
per-table. 

Then  when  the  feast  was  ready,  Uncle  Charlie 
called  the  children  together,  and  they  came  with 
a  will,  for  their  afternoon  out  of  doors  had  given 
them  a  good  appetite  for  the  hamwiches  and 
jamwiches. 

After  supper  was  over,  it  was  about  seven 
o'clock,  and  Uncle  Charlie  told  his  young  guests 
that  they  could  ramble  round  for  half  an  hour, 
and  then  they  would  start  on  their  homeward 
ride. 

The  path  by  the  side  of  the  lake  was  a 
very  pretty  one,  and  Mrs.  Elliott  and  her  hus- 
band walked  along  there  with  little  Gilbert  be- 
tween them.  The  child  was  getting  sleepy  and 
a  little  wilful ;  and  while  Jane,  his  nurse,  was  eat- 
ing her  supper,  his  parents  had  him  in  charge. 

Soon  they  heard  Frank's  voice  calling, 
"  Father,  won't  you  please  come  here  a  minute 
and  help  us  get  this  swing  down  ?  " 

Mr.  Elliott  went  to  help  the  boys,  and  Mrs. 


226  Patty   Fairficld 

Elliott  and  Gilbert  sat  down  on  the  grassy  bank 
to  await  his  return. 

"  Mamma,"  said  the  child,  "  shall  I  pick  you 
some  pretty  flowers  ?  " 

"  Yes,  baby,"  said  his  mother,  who  was  look- 
ing at  the  sunset,  and  only  half  listening,  "  but 
don't  go  far  away." 

"  No,"  said  the  little  fellow,  and  how  it  hap- 
pened, Mrs.  Elliott  never  knew,  but  seemingly  in 
a  moment,  Gilbert  had  climbed  into  a  boat  and 
was  afloat  alone  on  the  lake.  For  an  instant 
Mrs.  Elliott  was  too  frightened  even  to  scream ; 
and  then,  she  dared  not,  for  the  boat  was  a  little, 
round-bottomed  affair,  and  Gilbert  was  jumping 
about  in  it  so  excitedly,  that  if  suddenly  startled 
he  might  upset  the  boat. 

With  great  presence  of  *t±vd  his  mother  spoke 
to  him  gently. 

"  Gilbert,  dear,"  she  saii,  "  sit  down  in  the 
middle  of  the  boat,  and  be  quiet  until  I  call 
papa,  will  you  ?  There's  a  good  boy." 

"  I  am  a  good  boy,"  Gilbert  called  back  ;  "  I'm 
going  to  get  mamma  pretty  pink  pond-flowers." 

The  boat  was  drifting  farther  and  farther  out, 


A   Picnic  227 

and  the  child  sitting  in  the  bow,  rocked  it  from 
one  side  to  the  other. 

"  Gilbert,"  said  his  mother,  sternly,  "  sit  right 
down  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  Right  in  the 
middle,  do  you  hear?  Obey  me  at  once ! " 

"  Yes,  mamma,"  said  the  boy,  and  he  did  as 
she  told  him  to,  but  continued  to  rock  the  boat, 
so  though  the  danger  was  lessened,  it  was  still  a 
frightful  scene,  and  filled  the  poor  mother's 
heart  with  terror. 

"  Charlie,  Charlie,"  she  called,  and  then 
"  Frank,"  but  they  could  not  hear  her  as  they 
were  taking  down  some  hammocks  in  another 
part  of  the  grove. 

The  boat  drifted  nearer  to  the  pond-lilies,  and 
Mrs.  Elliott  saw  Gilbert  lean  over  the  side  of  the 
boat. 

"  Now  I'll  get  them  for  you,  mamma,"  he 
called. 

Mrs.  Elliott  could  sarcely  hear  his  words,  but 
she  saw, — the  boat  overturn  and  her  darling 
child  fall  into  the  deep  lake. 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  RESCUE 

WHEN  Mrs.  Elliott  called  to  her  husband  and 
son,  they  could  not  hear  her,  but  her  cries  were 
heard  by  a  small  group  of  half-a-dozen  boys  and 
girls,  who  were  walking  along  the  shore  of  the 
lake  at  some  distance  ahead  of  her. 

Patty  and  Marian  were  in  this  group,  and  at 
the  sound  of  her  mother's  frightened  cry,  Marian 
turned  pale,  and  said,  "  Oh,  Patty,  something 
dreadful  has  happened  ;  let  us  run  to  mother." 

But  one  of  the  boys  said,  "  Look  out  on  the 
lake  !  There's  your  little  brother  in  a  boat,  all 
alone." 

"  Oh,"  cried  Marian, "  he'll  be  upset !  Where's 
papa  ?  Can  any  of  you  boys  swim  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  two  of  the  boys,  and  another  said, 
'•'  I  can't  either,  but  I'm  going  to  try." 

"  Don't  do  it,"  said  Patty,  who  was  already 
flinging  off  her  shoes.  "  I  can  swim,  and  I'll 
save  the  baby." 

238, 


The  Rescue  229 

She  remembered  how  Nan  jumped  into  the 
water  with  her  ordinary  clothes  on  that  day  at 
the  Hurly-Burly,  and  so  she  ran  into  the  lake,  all 
dressed  as  she  was,  for  there  was  no  time  to  lose., 
and  struck  out  for  the  boat. 

She  had  taken  but  a  few  strokes,  when  she 
saw  the  child  fall  into  the  water,  and  heard  Mrs. 
Elliott  give  a  despairing  shriek. 

Patty  gave  one  shout  of  "  All  right,  Aunt 
Alice,  I'll  get  him  ! "  and  then  swam  for  dear 
life.  This  was  literally  true,  for  she  was  deter- 
mined to  save  the  dear  life  of  little  Gilbert  if  she 
possibly  could. 

And  she  did,  for  as  the  baby  rose  to  the  sur- 
face, Patty  was  near  enough  to  grasp  him,  and 
then  managed  to  reach  the  overturned  boat  and 
by  its  support  she  easily  kept  herself  and  the 
child  afloat. 

"  He's  all  right,"  she  called  to  the  crowd  now 
gathering  on  the  bank.  "  I  can  hold  him  up ; 
somebody  come  out  after  us  in  a  boat."  But 
two  boats  had  already  started,  and  in  a  few  min- 
utes Gilbert  was  lifted  into  one  and  Patty  scram- 
bled into  the  other,  and  they  were  quickly  rowed 
ashore,  and  when  they  landed  on  the  beach, 


230  Patty   Fairfield 

Uncle  Charlie,  with  the  tears  rolling  down  his 
cheeks,  tried  to  embrace  both  Patty  and  Gilbert 
at  once. 

Aunt  Alice  couldn't  speak,  but  the  looks  of 
love  and  gratitude  she  gave  Patty  said  more  than 
words  could,  and  Patty  felt  that  this  was  the  hap- 
piest moment  of  her  life.  And  what  a  fuss  the 
young  people  made  over  her  !  The  boys  praised 
her  pluck,  and  the  girls  marveled  at  her  skill. 

But  as  Patty  and  Gilbert  were  both  dripping 
wet,  and  it  was  already  nightfall,  the  question 
was,  what  to  do  to  keep  them  from  taking  cold. 

"  Build  up  the  fire  again,"  said  grandma,  "  and 
we'll  undress  the  baby,  and  wrap  him  all  up  in 
one  of  the  carriage  robes." 

"  And  there's  another  carriage  robe  for  Patty," 
said  Marian. 

"  I'll  fix  Patty,"  said  Uncle  Charlie,  "  haven't 
some  of  you  girls  a  big  blanket-shawl  that  won't 
be  spoiled  if  it  gets  wet  ?  " 

Several  shawls  were  eagerly  offered,  and  Uncle 
Charlie  selected  two  big  warm  ones  and  wrapped 
Patty,  wet  clothes  and  all,  tightly  in  them,  leav- 
ing only  her  face  exposed,  until  she  looked  like 
a  mummy,  and  was  wound  so  tight  she  couldn't 


The  Rescue  231 

stand  up  without  assistance.  But  Uncle  Charlie 
took  the  laughing  mummy  in  his  arms  and 
lifted  her  right  into  his  carriage  and  then  got  in 
and  sat  beside  her. 

"  Now  give  me  the  baby,"  he  said,  and  Gil- 
bert, equally  wrapped  up,  was  put  into  his  arms. 

"  Help  your  mother  and  grandma  in,  Frank," 
he  said,  "  and  then,  my  son,  you  must  look  after 
your  guests,  and  see  that  the  stages  are  filled  and 
started  off.  We  will  drive  home  quickly  and  I 
think  our  Patty  and  Gilbert  will  suffer  no  harm 
from  their  bath.  You  and  Marian  must  explain 
all  this,  and  say  good-bye  to  our  guests.  It  has 
been  a  terrible  experience,  but  we  are  all  safe 
now,  and  I  don't  want  the  young  people  to  feel 
saddened." 

«  Yes,  father,"  said  Frank,  "  I'll  take  charge 
here,  and  look  after  Marian  and  Edith,  and  at- 
tend to  getting  everything  and  everybody  home 
safely." 

Then  the  driver  took  up  his  whip,  and  Mr. 
Elliott's  horses  flew  over  the  ground  at  a  mad 
pace. 

Although  the  sudden  fright  had  shocked  Mrs. 
Elliott  terribly,  she  was  beginning  to  recover 


232  Patty   Fairfield 

herself,  and  by  the  time  the  carriage  reached 
home,  she  was  all  ready  to  take  charge  of  affairs 
in  her  usual  capable  way.  Uncle  Charlie  de- 
posited the  bundle  of  baby  on  the  sofa,  and  then 
went  back  and  carried  in  what  he  called  his 
"  mummy  niece." 

"  Grandma,"  said  Mrs.  Elliott,  "  I'll  give  our 
darling  Patty  into  your  charge,  for  the  present. 
Will  you  see  that  she  has  a  hot  bath,  and  a 
steaming  hot  drink  made  after  one  of  your  good 
old  recipes  ?  And  then  tuck  her  into  her  bed 
in  double-quick  time.  After  I  treat  baby  in  a 
similar  fashion,  and  get  him  to  sleep,  I  will  inter- 
view my  niece  myself." 

And  when  that  interview  took  place,  Patty 
was  made  to  know  how  deep  a  mother's  gratitude 
can  be,  and  the  bond  sealed  that  night  between 
Aunt  Alice  and  her  niece  was  one  of  lifelong 
endurance  and  deep,  true  love. 

Next  day,  the  Water  Babies,  as  Uncle  Charlie 
called  Patty  and  Gilbert,  were  as  well  as  ever, 
and  suffered  no  ill  effects  from  their  dip  in  the 
lake. 

Many  of  the  Vernondale  boys  and  girls  came 
to  see  Patty,  and  Frank  and  Marian  exhibited 


The  Rescue  233 

her  with  pride,  as  if  she  were  an  Imperial  treas- 
ure 

Patty  bore  her  honors  modestly,  for  it  didn't 
seem  to  her  that  she  had  done  anything  specially 
meritorious.  She  was  glad  Bob  and  Uncle  Ted 
had  taught  her  to  swim  so  well,  and  even  greater 
than  her  joy  at  saving  Gilbert's  life  was  the 
thought  that  she  had  saved  the  boy  for  her  dear 
Aunt  Alice  whom  she  loved  so  much 

When  Uncle  Charlie  came  home  from  New 
York  that  night,  he  brought  Patty  a  beautiful 
gold  brooch  set  with  pearls  and  with  a  sparkling 
diamond  in  the  centre. 

"  This  isn't  a  reward,  Patty  dear,"  he  said, "  for 
no  amount  of  jewels  could  represent  the  value 
of  our  baby's  life.  But  I  want  you  to  wear  it 
sometiin-es  as  heroes  wear  the  Victoria  Cross,  or 
as  men  at  the  life-saving  stations  wear  their 
medals." 

Patty's  hea't  was  touched  at  this  expression  of 
Uncle  Charlie's  gratitude,  and  she  was  delighted, 
too,  with  th/.1  beautiful  gift. 

"  I  don't  want  any  reward,  uncle,"  she  said, 
~  but  I  shaJl  keep  this  lovely  brooch  all  my  life 
as  one  of  ray  choicest  treasures." 


CHAPTER  XXJ 

A   READING-CLUB 

WITH  October  came  school-days. 

There  was  a  fine  school  for  young  ladies  in 
Vernondale,  which  Marian  attended,  and  Aunt 
Alice  thought  it  best  for  Patty  to  go  too. 

The  cousins,  who  had  become  inseparable 
companions,  enjoyed  their  school-life  together, 
and  the  added  duties  which  lessons  brought, 
caused  Aunt  Alice  to  make  Patty's  household 
tasks  rather  fewer. 

That  lady  was  by  no  means  an  advocate  ot 
«  all  work  and  no  play,"  and  though  some  domes- 
tic duties  were  imposed  and  a  cake  or  a  dessert 
was  taught  every  Saturday,  yet  Patty  had  plenty 
of  time  for  amusements  and  plenty  of  amuse- 
ments for  her  time. 

One  October  day,  Patty  and  Marian  and  two 
of  their  schoolgirl  friends  sat  on  Patty's  balcony 
drinking  afternoon  tea. 

It  was  getting  late  in  the  season  to  use  the 
234 


A  Reading-Club  235 

pretty  balcony,  but  it  chanced  to  be  a  bright, 
sunny  autumn  day,  and  the  girls  had  their  wraps 
on. 

Besides,  they  were  talking  so  busily,  that  I 
think  they  would  scarcely  have  noticed  it,  had 
the  mercury  suddenly  fallen  to  zero. 

"  Yes,"  Elsie  Morris  was  saying,  "  we'll  have  a 
real  literary  club,  and  we'll  have  a  president  and 
constitution  and  everything.  But  don't  let's 
have  too  many  members.  About  twelve  girls,  I 
should  say." 

"  Only  girls  ?  "  said  Marian, "  aren't  we  going  to 
have  any  boys  ?  I  know  Frank  would  like  to  join." 

"  Oh,  boys  don't  like  to  read,"  said  Polly 
Stevens, "  they're  nice  at  parties  and  picnics,  but 
we  want  this  club  to  be  really  literary,  and  not 
just  fooling." 

"  I  know  it,"  said  Marian,  "  but  we  thought 
we'd  have  little  plays  and  tableaux,  and  things 
like  that.  And  how  can  we  manage  those  with- 
out boys?  What  do  you  say,  Patty?" 

"  1  think  it's  nice  to  have  the  boys,"  said  Patty, 
*  but  they  won't  come  much  in  the  afternoons. 
If  we  have  them,  it'll  have  to  be  an  evening 
affair.  Let's  ask  Aunt  Alice." 


236  Patty  Fairfield 

"  Yes,"  said  Elsie,  "  Mrs.  Elliott  always  knows 
just  what  to  do." 

"  I'll  go  after  her,"  said  Patty,  and  away  she 
ran,  and  returned  in  triumph  with  her  aunt. 

"  Now,  my  blessed  auntie,"  she  said,  as  she 
gave  her  a  seat,  and  wrapped  a  fleecy  shawl 
about  her  shoulders,  "  let  me  offer  you  a  cup  of 
tea,  for  we  are  going  to  give  you  a  weighty 
question  to  decide,  and  you'll  need  a  stimu- 
lant." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Aunt  Alice,  laughing,  "  but 
you'd  better  ask  the  question  quickly,  for  this 
tea  doesn't  look  very  strong  and  its  effects  will 
soon  wear  off." 

So  the  girls  all  talked  at  once,  or  at  least,  two 
at  a  time,  and  explained  that  they  wanted  a 
literary  club,  and  while  they  all  liked  the  boys 
and  would  be  glad  of  their  assistance  in  plays 
and  tableaux,  yet  they  knew  that  if  boys  came 
to  the  meetings,  there'd  be  little  or  no  serious 
reading  done. 

"  It  may  be  the  effects  of  your  tea,"  said  Mrs. 
Elliott,  "  but  the  solution  of  your  problem  seems 
to  me  so  easy  that  I  wonder  you  didn't  think  it 
out  for  yourselves." 


A  Reading-Club  237 

"  Oh,  what  is  it  ?  "  said  Elsie  and  Marian  to- 
gether. 

"  Why,  have  your  club  of  girls  only,  and  have 
your  meetings  on  Saturday  afternoons,  as  you 
proposed,  and  then  occasionally, — say,  once  a 
month, — have  an  evening  meeting  and  invite  the 
boys  and  have  your  dramatic  or  musical  enter- 
tainments then." 

"  I  knew  you'd  fix  it,  Aunt  Alice,"  said  Patty, 
beaming,  "  won't  that  be  just  right,  girls  ?  " 

They  all  agreed  to  this  wise  plan,  and  im- 
mediately made  out  a  list  of  twelve  girls,  who, 
if  they  accepted  the  invitation,  were  to  attend 
the  first  club  meeting  at  Elsie  Morris's  house  on 
the  following  Saturday. 

Every  one  did  accept,  and  the  club  was 
formed,  and  the  twelve  members  went  to  work 
with  a  will  to  make  rules  and  plans. 

Patty  was  unanimously  elected  president. 

She  hesitated  about  undertaking  to  fill  such  a 
responsible  office,  but  the  girls,  one  and  all,  in- 
sisted upon  it  in  a  determined  if  not  very  par- 
liamentary way  ;  and  so  she  accepted  the  position, 
feeling  sure  that  Aunt  Alice  would  assist  and 
advise  her  in  any  difficulties  that  might  arise. 


238  Patty   Fairfield 

The  Literary  Club  proved  a  great  success. 
Patty  made  a  very  capable  and  graceful  little 
president,  and  when  at  a  meeting  in  November, 
the  girls  began  to  discuss  an  evening  entertain- 
ment to  be  held  in  December,  and  Patty  re- 
marked that  perhaps  she  wouldn't  be  in  Ver- 
nondale  then,  a  general  outcry  was  raised. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Why  not  ?  " 

"  Why,  Patty  Fairfield,  where  are  you  going  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  where  I'm  going,"  said  Patty, 
"  but  my  visit  at  Marian's  will  be  over  the  first 
of  December,  and  then  I'm  going  to  have  a  new 
home,  and  I  don't  know  where  it  will  be.  But 
oh,  girls,  I  wish  it  could  be  in  Vernondale." 

"  Why  can't  it  ?  "  said  Marian  eagerly,  "  why 
can't  Uncle  Fred  buy  a  house  here,  and  then 
you  can  live  here  all  your  life.  Oh,  Patty, 
wouldn't  that  be  just  fine  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Patty,  do  ! "  chorused  all  the  girls,  and 
Patty  resolved  that  if  she  had  any  voice  in  the 
matter,  Vernondale  should  be  her  future  home. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

A   WELCOME   GUEST 

"  OH,  Aunt  Alice,"  cried  Patty,  flying  into  he; 
aunt's  room  one  morning  in  the  latter  part  of 
November, "  I've  just  had  a  letter  from  papa,  and 
he'll  be  here  for  Thanksgiving-day  !  Isn't  that 
grand  ?  "  and  catching  her  aunt  round  the  waist, 
Patty  waltzed  her  up  and  down  the  room  until 
the  good  lady  was  nearly  breathless. 

"  I'm  as  glad  as  you  are,  Patty  girl,"  she  said, 
when  her  niece  finally  allowed  her  to  come  to  a 
standstill,  "  for  I  haven't  seen  brother  Fred  for 
many  long  years.  But  I  can  tell  you  that  his 
coming  doesn't  by  any  means  bring  your  visit  to 
an  end ;  I'm  going  to  keep  you  both  here  with 
me  until  after  the  holidays,  and  longer  too,  if  I 
can." 

"  Well,  I'll  be  only  too  glad  to  stay  as  long  as 
papa  is  willing,  and  I  do  hope  I  can  persuade 
him  to  settle  in  Vernondale.  Do  you  believe  he 
will,  Aunt  Alice  ?  " 


240  Patty  Fairfield 

"  I  don't  know.  I  think  he  is  inclined  to 
make  his  home  in  New  York  city.  But  Vernon- 
dale  is  a  pleasant  place  and  so  near  New  York, 
as  to  be  a  sort  of  suburb." 

"  Well,  I'm  going  to  coax  him,  anyhow, — and 
now  Aunt  Alice,  I'm  going  to  ask  you  a  big,  big 
favor,  may  I  ?  " 

"  Yes,  you  may  ask,  but  I  won't  make  any 
rash  promises  to  grant  it,  until  I  hear  what  it  is." 

"  Well, — I'm  afraid  you'll  think  I  won't  make 
them  good  enough, — but — I  do  want  to  make 
the  pumpkin  pies  for  Thanksgiving-day.  Papa 
would  be  so  surprised  and  pleased." 

"  Why,  of  course  you  may,  child ;  I'll  be  very 
glad  to  be  relieved  of  that  duty,  and  cook  will 
have  all  she  can  attend  to." 

"  When  is  Uncle  Fred  coming  ?  "  said  Frank, 
as  they  all  sat  at  dinner  that  evening. 

"  The  night  before  Thanksgiving,"  said  Patty ; 
"  he'll  arrive  at  about  nine  o'clock." 

"  Well,  we'll  give  him  a  rousing  welcome,"  said 
Frank,  "  a  sort  of  '  Harvest  Home,'  you  know." 

"  All  right,"  said  his  father,  who  was  ever 
ready  for  a  frolic,  "  what  can  we  do  out  of  the 
ordinary  ?  " 


A  Welcome  Guest  241 

«  We  could  decorate  the  veranda  with  jack- 
o'-lanterns,"  said  Marian,  "  and  he'll  see  them  as 
he  drives  up." 

"  Just  the  thing,"  said  Frank,  "  and,  oh, — I 
have  a  fine  plan,  but  we  won't  tell  Patty, — at 
least,  not  yet." 

The  day  before  Thanksgiving,  the  children 
were  all  allowed  to  stay  home  from  school  to 
make  the  final  preparations  for  Uncle  Fred's 
reception. 

While  Patty  was  in  the  kitchen  making  her 
pumpkin  pies,  (and  surely,  such  beautiful  pies 
never  were  made,  before  or  since!)  there  was 
much  rushing  in  and  out  of  the  parlor ;  and 
sounds  of  hammering  and  of  moving  furniture 
reached  Patty's  ears,  but  she  was  told  that  she 
would  not  be  allowed  even  to  peep  into  the 
room  until  evening. 

So  after  the  pies  were  made,  Patty  ran  up  to 
put  the  finishing  touches  to  her  father's  bed- 
room. 

She  filled  the  vases  with  fresh  flowers,  laid  out 
a  new  book  which  she  had  bought  as  a  welcom- 
ing gift  for  him,  and  on  his  dressing-table  she 
placed  the  cherished  portrait  of  her  mother ;  and 


242  Patty   Fairfield 

talking  to  the  picture  as  she  often  did,  she 
said: 

"  I'm  going  to  lend  you  to  him,  motherdy,  for 
a  few  days ;  I  shall  miss  you,  of  course,  but  we 
want  to  give  him  the  very  best  welcome  possible." 

Patty  was  allowed  to  help  with  all  the  prepa- 
rations except  those  in  the  parlor,  and  she  was 
extremely  curious  to  know  what  was  going  on 
in  there.  But  she  found  plenty  to  occupy  her 
time,  for  the  whole  house  was  to  be  decorated. 

On  the  veranda  railing  were  many  "jack- 
o'-lanterns,"  which  when  their  candles  were 
aghted  would  flash  a  welcome  from  their  wide, 
kmny  mouths  and  round  eyes. 

The  hall  was  decorated  with  boughs  of  ever- 
green, among  which  were  tiny  yellow  squashes 
and  gourds,  also  cut  like  jack-o'-lanterns  and 
holding  small  candles. 

The  sitting-room  was  decorated  with  bunches 
of  grain,  and  red  peppers,  "  for,"  said  Frank,  "  it 
won't  be  a  Harvest  Home,  unless  we  have  grain 
and  winter  vegetables." 

After  all  was  ready,  Patty  went  to  don  the 
pretty  dress  which  Aunt  Alice  and  she  had 
bought  for  the  great  occasion. 


A  Welcome  Guest  243 

It  was  a  dainty  little  blue  and  white  striped 
silk,  with  ruffles  edged  with  narrow  black  velvet. 
The  yoke  and  sleeves  were  of  fine  white  em- 
broidered muslin,  and  very  fair  and  sweet  Patty 
looked  as  she  clasped  her  "  Victoria  Cross  "  at 
her  throat. 

"  Now  can  I  go  in  the  parlor,  Frank  ? "  she 
said,  as  she  met  her  cousin  on  the  stairs. 

"  Yes,  Patsy,  come  along,"  and  the  boy  threw 
open  the  parlor  doors  with  a  flourish.  The  room 
was  elaborately  trimmed  with  palms  and  chrys- 
anthemums, and  at  one  end  was  a  raised  plat- 
form, like  a  throne,  on  which  stood  a  large  arm- 
chair draped  with  a  red  velvet  portiere.  Above 
this  was  a  semicircular  canopy  cleverly  made  of 
cornstalks  and  bunches  of  grain  and  up  on  the 
very  top  was  the  biggest  pumpkin  you  ever  saw 
cut  like  a  jack-o'-lantern. 

More  tall  cornstalks  formed  a  background  to 
the  throne  and  at  each  side  stood  a  noble  sheaf 
of  wheat.  Thickly  scattered  over  the  whole  af- 
fair were  gourds  or  mock-oranges,  which  had 
been  hollowed  out  and  held  lighted  tapers,  while 
across  the  top  was  "  welcome  "  in  large  letters 
made  of  gilt  paper. 


244  Patty   Fairfield 

"  Oh,"  said  Patty,  quite  awestruck  at  this 
bright  and  novel  scene,  "  what  is  it  all  for  ?  " 

"  Tell  her,  mother,"  said  Frank  to  Aunt  Alice, 
who  had  just  come  in,  "  I  must  go  and  listen  for 
the  carriage." 

"  It's  for  you,  Patty,"  said  her  aunt ;  "  you  are 
to  sit  there  and  welcome  your  father  when  he 
comes,  and  you'd  better  jump  into  the  chair  now, 
for  he  may  be  here  at  any  minute." 

"  Oh,  how  kind  you  all  are,"  said  Patty.  "  Did 
Frank  do  all  this  for  me?  Won't  papa  be 
pleased  ?  " 

Patty  flew  up  the  steps  and  settled  herself  in 
the  great  chair  with  delight. 

"  That's  all  right,"  said  Marian,  who  had  just 
come  in  and  who  gave  a  critical  glance  at  the 
whole  picture.  "  Now  stay  there,  Patty ;  don't 
jump  down  when  you  hear  us  greet  Uncle  Fred 
in  the  hall." 

"  I  won't,"  said  Patty,  "  I'll  stay,"  and  in  an- 
other minute  the  carriage  drove  up,  and  Patty 
heard  her  father's  voice  greeting  Aunt  Alice  and 
her  cousins,  and  then  saying,  "  But  where's 
Patty  ?  Where's  my  girl  ?  " 

u  Here,  papa,"   cried   Patty,   mindful   of  her 


A  Welcome  Guest  245 

promise  to  sit  still,  but  unable  to  resist  calling  to 
him,  and  then  Mr.  Fairfield  hurried  into  the  par- 
lor and  saw  his  pretty  daughter  enthroned  to 
welcome  him. 

But  at  sight  of  his  dear  face,  Patty  couldn't  sit 
still,  and  she  flew  out  of  her  chair  and  was  in  her 
father's  arms  before  he  was  half-way  across  the 
room. 

Nobody  minded,  however,  for  there  was  such  a 
chattering  and  laughing  and  frolicking  as  you 
never  saw,  and  all  the  time  Mr.  Fairfield  kept  his 
arm  around  his  little  daughter  as  if  he  would 
never  let  her  leave  him  again. 

"  But  don't  think  your  beautiful  work  isn't  ap- 
preciated, my  boy,"  he  said  to  Frank,  as  Patty 
called  his  attention  to  the  cleverly  constructed 
throne,  "  indeed,  I  think  now  is  the  time  to  put 
it  to  use,"  and  Mr.  Fairfield  seated  himself  in  the 
big  chair  and  drew  Patty  down  upon  his  knee. 

Then  Frank  led  off  in  three  hearty  cheers  for 
Uncle  Fred  and  Patty,  and  the  Elliott  family 
joined  in  with  a  will. 

And  what  a  merry,  happy  Thanksgiving-day 
they  had  on  the  morrow  ! 


246  Patty    Fairficld 

Patty's  pies  were  praised  until  the  little  maid 
blushed  at  the  compliments  she  received. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  before  father  and 
daughter  found  an  opportunity  for  a  little  talk  by 
themselves  ;  and  then  Patty  told  of  her  love  and 
admiration  for  Aunt  Alice,  and  her  great  desire 
to  spend  the  rest  of  her  life  in  Vernondale. 

"  For  you  see,  papa,"  she  said, "  Aunt  Alice  is 
the  only  one  of  my  aunts  who  has  a  sense  of 
proportion,  and  she  certainly  has.  She  is  rich, 
but  she  doesn't  talk  about  it  like  Aunt  Isabel's 
people ;  she  reads,  and  knows  a  lot  about  books, 
but  she  doesn't  seem  to  think  there's  nothing 
else  in  the  world  but  books,  as  Aunt  Hester's 
family  does  ;  and  as  for  the  Hurly-Burly  people, 
they're  lovely  in  some  ways, — but,  after  living 
with  Aunt  Alice,  I  couldn't  stand  their  forgetful- 
ness  and  carelessness.  And  then,  Aunt  Alice 
has  everything  in  her  life,  and  not  too  much  of 
anything  either.  We  children  have  lots  of  fun 
and  good  times,  but  we  have  to  work  some,  too. 
And  Aunt  Alice  teaches  us  to  be  kind  and  polite 
without  making  any  fuss  about  it.  And  she 
does  beautiful  charity  work,  and  she's  so  happy 
and  sweet  that  everybody  loves  her.  And  papa. 


A  Welcome  Guest  247 

dear,  I  do  want  to  continue  to  live  near  Aunt 
Alice,  and  let  her  keep  on  advising  me  and 
teaching  me,  and  so, — don't  you  think  it  would 
be  nice  for  you  to  buy  a  house  in  Vernondale 
and  live  here  ?  " 

"Well,  my  girl,  you've  made  out  a  pretty 
strong  case,  haven't  you?  "  said  her  father,  "  and 
as  my  principal  object  in  life  is  to  make  you 
happy,  I  think,  Patty,  dear,  that  I'll  let  you  de- 
cide where  our  home  shall  be,  and  how  it  shall 
be  conducted." 


THE   EN!} 


The  Carolyn  Wells 
Books  for  Girls 


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full  of  vitality  and  good  spirits,  are  two  lovable  characters  well 
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Patty's  Success  Patty — Bride 
Patty  and  Azalea 

THE  MARJORIE  BOOKS 

Marjorie's  Vacation  Marjorie  in  Command 

Marjorie's  Busy  Days  Marjorie's  Maytime 

Marjorie's  New  Friend  Marjorie  at  Seacote 


GROSSET  &  DUNLAP          Publishers          NEW  YORK 


unive,siW 


'90 


.8PHL.Pl 


At* 


Un 


